Season Two With A Twist
by I've Got Nerve
Summary: Second in the Season Twist Series. If you haven't read the first one, you won't know Alyson, my OFC. It's Dean/OFC. Even if you usually don't like OFC stories, you might like this. Remember, OFC doesn't automatically mean she's cliche.
1. In My Time of Dying

**In My Time of Dying**

**I was cold and wet and sticky and sore. I think that was more from the uncomfortable position I was lying in, though, than anything else.**

**I opened my eyes and, for a minute, I didn't know where I was. It was dark, but there was a light coming from somewhere. I sat up to see where it was coming from, but all I noticed was Dean. He had blood all over the front of his shirt and he was bleeding profusely from a wound on his head.**

**I'd been sprawled out across his lap before and I hadn't known it. I looked around and realized we were in the Impala. Man, it was pretty much destroyed. Maybe it was a good thing Dean was unconscious at this point because if he'd been awake, he would have been cursing like a sailor.**

"**Dean?" I didn't wanna move him. I didn't wanna hurt him anymore than he already had been. But I needed to get out of the car. The door was still connected, but it was bent outwards.**

**I looked towards the other door; it was bent inwards, so there would be no going out that way. Not to mention a semi-truck was blocking it. It was pretty much connected to the car. It had plowed into us, apparently.**

**I got on my knees, trying to figure out what to do, how to get out without opening the door because Dean was leaning on it. If I opened the door, he would fall out.**

**I looked to the front seat. Both John and Sam were unconscious, too. The windshield had busted out, though, and I could get out that way.**

**There was enough space between John and Sam that I could climb over the front seat without touching them if I was careful. I took a deep breath, but then I realized the blood was so thick in the car that I could smell it, _taste_ it, so I didn't do it again. It was rusty…metallic. It made me wanna gag.**

**I climbed into the front seat, feet-first. God, all three of the guys had head wounds. This was so not good.**

**I looked to the right, where the light was coming from. It hurt my eyes, it was so bright. When my eyes adjusted, I realized the light was coming from the semi-truck. I was looking into one of its headlights, so I turned my head away.**

**I was getting ready to go through the windshield when the driver-side door was ripped from the car. _Straight off its hinges_.**

**Someone grabbed me by the waist, trying to pull me out of the car. I did the natural thing; I screamed.**

**I landed on my feet outside the car. "Let me go!"**

**I elbowed whoever was holding me in the stomach and broke away, turning to look at my captor.**

**It was an older man with black eyes. A demon was possessing him. Huh. I wondered why I hadn't sensed him before.**

**Maybe I was going into shock and I couldn't feel anything. But then again, I was feeling a lot-worry, panic, fear, helplessness, hopelessness-so maybe it was because my body was on emotion overload and I just couldn't feel anything else without exploding. Metaphorically. Or, you never know, in my world I might explode physically.**

**My mind was rambling. I was shaking, having trouble breathing. Side effect of the fear.**

**The demon brought his hands up and wrapped then around my neck, choking me. I didn't fight back; I couldn't find the strength to. After a few seconds, my vision became blurry…I needed to breathe or I was gonna die.**

**I heard a click of what sounded like a gun. "Let her go. Or I'll kill you, I swear to God."**

**The hands loosened on my neck and I drew in some much needed oxygen.**

"**You won't. You're saving that bullet for someone else."**

"**You wanna bet?"**

**The demon said nothing. Then it screamed…or the man screamed. And a cloud of black smoke came out of his mouth. The man fell to his knees and then looked up at me. "Did I do this?"**

**I didn't answer. I turned to look at Sam. He was awake; he'd saved me. He held the Colt in his hands weakly. He looked exhausted.**

"**Dad?" I heard him say, but he didn't get a response. "Dean?" Same thing.**

**------------- -**

**I'd called the cops, telling them where we were and what had happened, editing the demon part. The paramedics had brought two helicopters and an ambulance. They had briefly checked me over, surprised when they couldn't find any wounds.**

**I hadn't realized it, but my clothes had been covered in blood. Most of it wasn't mine, I didn't think. It was Dean's. I even had it in my hair.**

**I'd ridden with Sam to the hospital and when we got there, I stayed with him while they checked him over. He had a few cuts and bruises and his eye was still swollen shut, but other than that he was fine.**

**The doctor had brought me a white T-shirt with some blue scrubs. Fashion disaster, yeah, but at least they were clean.**

**After they told Sam he was okay, I went to the bathroom. I wanted the blood out of my hair. I turned the water on and stuck my head under the faucet, getting my hair wet, and started scrubbing my scalp, hard.**

**I did it for about two minutes, and then I rung my hair out, cut the water off, and looked at my reflection in the mirror.**

**My lower lip started trembling. Here I was, not a scratch on me, when two of the people I cared about most were lying in hospital beds, one really hurt, the other possibly dying. I turned away from my reflection, screamed in frustration and panic, and kicked the wall.**

**Images of Dean lying against the car door, unconscious, broken, _dying_, filled my mind. I felt myself sink to the floor and I was vaguely aware of a pain shooting up my butt-bone as it hit the tile, but I didn't care. I scooted toward the wall, brought my legs up, wrapped my arms around them, and rested my head on my knees.**

**A few minutes later, a knock came from the door. "Alyson?" It was Sam. When I didn't answer, he stuck his head in. When he saw me on the floor, it took a minute for it to register in his mind what he was seeing. He'd never seen me cry, I don't think.**

**He walked towards me and sat down. "I heard you scream and when you didn't come out, I got worried."**

**I didn't say anything.**

"**Dad's awake. We can go see him if you want."**

**I shook my head. John wasn't who I wanted to see. "And Dean?" Sam didn't say anything, so I looked at him. "He's not waking up, is he?" I turned towards him, grabbing at him.**

"**The doctor said he's fighting very hard," Sam said. "But we'll find a way to help him." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me.**

"**Can we see h-him?"**

"**Um, yeah."**

**I laid my head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around me. "He has to wake up," I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks. "I told him that not waking up wasn't an option." I gripped Sam's shirt tightly, so tight my fingers started cramping up, but I didn't let go.**

**I heard Sam let out a sob of his own and, God, I was lost. I didn't know what to do. Neither of us did. At least I wasn't alone.**

**------------- -**

**While Sam and I were sitting there crying, I came to the conclusion that I was in love with Dean. I didn't know when that had happened, but it had. I mean, I knew _why_, but I didn't know when. And now, I was probably gonna lose him.**

**I also realized, as we were sitting there, that it was my birthday. I laughed shortly. "I never thought I'd turn eighteen in a hospital. As far as parties go, this one sucks."**

"**What?"**

"**Today's my birthday," I explained.**

"**You never told us that," Sam said softly.**

"**We were fighting demons. It didn't seem that important."**

"**Right."**

**I pulled away slightly. "We should get up soon. We're not doin' anybody any good here." I was the first one up and I grabbed his hands and pulled. On any other day, in any other situation, it would have been comical. Me, a five-three girl, trying to pull Sam to his feet. Compared to me, he was an ox. He got up and I hugged him again. "Thank you."**

"**No problem." He sighed. "I guess I should go talk to my dad."**

**I let him go. "Um, I'll come with you, I guess. See if he knows what to do."**

**Sam nodded and we walked out the door. I was thankful no one was around because we'd been in the girls bathroom. No Sam allowed.**

**When we got to John's room-he had a broken arm-Sam told him what was wrong with Dean. Blood loss, internal damage, head trauma.**

"**Since the doctors can't do anything…we'll have to, that's all," Sam said. "I don't know, I'll find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him."**

"**Yeah, we'll look for someone." Sam sat in a chair by the bed. "But, Sam,…I don't know if we're gonna find anyone."**

"**Why not? I found that faith healer before."**

"**Yeah, well, that was one in a million."**

"**So what? What, do we just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?"**

"**No, I said we'd look. All right? I'll check under every stone."**

**I leaned against the wall, but then I froze. I could've sworn I'd gone through something, or something had gone through me. It was odd. Odd because I didn't have the chills. It was just the opposite. I felt warm and safe. Dean. It was like a part of him was with me.**

**My mind flashed back to when my mom had come to me after she'd died. I'd felt safe and warm then, too.**

"**Where's the Colt?" John asked.**

"**Does it matter?" I asked sharply.**

"**We are hunting this demon and maybe it's hunting us, too. That gun may be our only card."**

"**It's in the trunk," Sam said. "They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."**

"**All right, you've gotta clean out that trunk before some junkman sees what's inside."**

"**I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out. He's gonna tow the Impala back to his place."**

"**All right, you guys go meet up with Bobby. You get that Colt and you bring it back to me, and you watch out for hospital security."**

**Sam grinned. "I think I got it covered." He stood up.**

"**Hey," John said. "Here." He handed Sam a piece of paper. "I made a list of things I need. Have Bobby pick 'em up for me."**

**Sam looked at the list. "Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?"**

"**Protection."**

**Sam went towards the door and pushed myself off the wall to follow, but Sam turned back towards John.**

"**Hey, Dad? You know the demon…he said he had plans for me and children like me. You have any idea what he meant by that?"**

**John shook his head. "No, I don't."**

**Sam nodded and then turned back around, walking out the room. I followed him.**

"**Um, do you mind going without me?" I asked. "I kinda wanna go sit with Dean. I mean, I'll go if you need me, but I-" I broke off, looking at the floor.**

"**No, you can stay. I'm good."**

**I looked back at him, nodding gratefully. He walked me to Dean's room and followed me in.**

**I looked at Dean, lying motionless, lifeless, in the bed. My breath caught in my throat. There were tubes stuck in him, down his throat, that were keeping him alive.**

"**Wow," I whispered.**

"**Yeah." Sam paused. "You sure you wanna stay here?"**

"**Yes," I said. I went towards one of the chairs-there were two-and pulled it towards the hospital bed. I looked up at Sam and nodded, letting him know I was okay, that he could leave. He walked out.**

**------------- -**

**Thirty minutes later, I hadn't moved from my seat. I hadn't touched Dean at all, even though I'd wanted to. I hadn't because he looked so…fragile lying there.**

**His hand had twitched a few times, but I didn't get my hopes up. He was in a coma…he'd only had a muscle spasm.**

**I heard a knock come from the door and I looked up, away from Dean. John was standing in the doorway.**

"**Hey," he said, limping into the room. Right. I forgot. Bullet wound to the leg.**

"**Hi," I said softly.**

"**You didn't go with Sam?" He sounded surprised. Probably because he'd told me to go with Sam and I hadn't. He should've known better; I didn't jump through hoops on command. If he didn't know me by now, I guess he never would.**

"**I wanted to stay here." I hated how vulnerable I sounded. This was no good, this hole I felt forming in my heart.**

"**In case he wakes up?" John asked, sounding as hopeless as I felt.**

"**The doctor said he doesn't have a good chance of that." I bit my lip and then continued. "Whichever way…whether he wakes up or…" I couldn't bring myself to say that Dean was probably going to die. If I said it out loud it would make it more real. "He shouldn't be alone."**

**Suddenly, it felt like something went through me again. Safe, warm, comfort. _Dean_. I looked at Dean again and tears filled my eyes. Even when he was dying he was still watching over me. Maybe I was going insane. Yeah, that was probably it.**

**I didn't look back at John until he pulled a chair up beside me and sat down.**

"**Look, I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, right now," John started, "but-"**

"**I don't dislike you," I interrupted. "But I don't agree with how you treat Sam or Dean. And I think it's messed up that it took you being possessed for Dean to hear what he's always wanted to hear from you. That you were proud of him. That he takes care of his family." I paused and took a deep, calming breath. I was getting angry and, really, I shouldn't have been.**

**I looked at Dean and then back at John. "I mean, you were never there and Dean never questioned you. Not once. I didn't understand it. Still don't. But even when you didn't take the time to call…he never questioned anything you asked him to do."**

**I felt like I was chastising a small child for doing something wrong. John wasn't arguing back. He was just taking it. He probably knew I was right.**

**He looked at me a little longer than I was comfortable with, so I turned my head away, but I could still feel his gaze on me.**

"**You love him. Both of them. I know that," I said. "You have a weird way of showing it, but you do."**

"**Yeah."**

**We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, my thoughts roaming, randomly, over things that had happened in the past couple months. Not everything had been bad. I'd become friends with Sam and Dean. We could depend on each other endlessly. Yes, we were all different in some ways, but we made each other stronger.**

"**Dean was the one who taught me who to shoot," I said, smiling slightly. "I remember we were out in a field. I wasn't aiming at anything…he just wanted me to get comfortable holding the gun. He taught me how to stand so that I wouldn't hurt myself."**

**John didn't say anything, so I just kept talking.**

"**Anyway…I was nervous. I'd never even _held_ a gun before, let alone fired one. I was shaking…I didn't want to learn how to shoot a gun. I didn't have a choice. Dean said I did. I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to. But in my mind, I didn't have a choice."**

"**But he _gave_ you a choice," John said.**

**I nodded. I wasn't accusing him of anything, but it sounded like John was taking it that way. He wasn't getting mad, though, which surprised me. I guess the seriousness of the situation was getting to him.**

"**Yeah. It meant a lot," I said, picking up on the conversation, "knowing that he would protect me if I couldn't protect myself. But I _chose_ to learn, so he taught me. And after I shot it the first time…he made sure I was okay."**

**John took a deep breath and then acted like he was going to say something, but didn't. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know John knew how to keep from saying things he wanted to say.**

"**What?" I looked at him and saw an expression of realization on his face. "What?"**

"**You care about him a lot. Don't you?"**

**I didn't even have to think about it. "Yes, I do. I mean, I care about them both. They were there for me when I needed them. They're the most important people in my life. But Dean…we understand each other…most of the time." I smiled slightly. It was a sad smile. I knew that. "Dean and I connect. It's not a physical thing…it's entirely emotional. He doesn't mind opening up to me because he knows I'll never tease him for it or throw it back in his face, use it against him. He knows that whatever we talk about stays between us."**

"**You love him. Both of them," John said, and it wasn't a question. My own words were being repeated back to me.**

"**Yeah." I stood up and said, "I'm gonna go…let you be alone for a while. I'll be back in a few minutes."**

**With that, I walked out the door.**

**------------- -**

**I had planned on going outside to get some fresh air,-the hospital smell was getting to me-but Sam came through the door, looking upset. He almost ran me over.**

"**Sam? What's goin' on?"**

**He didn't answer my question. "Where's my dad?"**

"**Uh, he was with Dean a minute ago. He might still be there." I noticed he was carrying a couple of bags. "What's in there?"**

"**The stuff Dad wanted and our clothes." He went around me. "I gotta find my dad."**

**I followed him. When we got to Dean's room, John wasn't there. I guess he'd left shortly after I had.**

**Sam walked away from the room and I was torn between going with him and staying with Dean. I reluctantly followed Sam to John's room. He was back in the bed now.**

**Sam threw the bags on the bed. "You think I wouldn't find out?"**

"**What are you talkin' about?" John asked.**

"**That stuff from Bobby. You don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one. You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you, and having some stupid macho showdown!"**

**I couldn't believe it. "What's he talking about?"**

"**I have a plan," John said.**

"**That's exactly my point! Dean is dying and you have a plan," Sam yelled. "You know what, you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son."**

**I closed my eyes. This wasn't happening. I was having a nightmare, I was gonna wake up anytime now.**

"**Do not tell me how I feel. I am doing this for Dean."**

"**How? How is revenge gonna help him? You're not thinkin' about anybody but yourself! It's the same selfish obsession."**

"**That's funny, you know what, I thought this was your obsession, too! This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You _begged_ me to be a part of this hunt. Now, if you killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened."**

"**It was possessing you, Dad. I would've killed you, too."**

"**Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now!"**

**I'd had enough. "Shut up," I screamed. I didn't care who heard me. "Both of you just…shut up."**

"**I should have never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake." John was talking to Sam.**

**A bunch of doctors rushed past the room, so I went to look to see what was happening. Doctors were going into Dean's room. I rushed out of John's room, Sam following behind me.**

**We couldn't go in Dean's room; he was flat-lining, and they were trying to bring him back. They were using a defibrillator, trying to make his heart work.**

**It wasn't working. They tried at least three times, but…nothing. And then suddenly his heart was working properly again.**

**A feeling of desperation came over me, but it wasn't mine. It was like I was feeling Dean, channeling his emotions or something.**

**But he was breathing again, his heart was beating. So what was wrong?**

"**Dean," Sam whispered, and I looked at him. "I felt…"**

"**You felt that, too?"**

**He nodded.**

"**What does that mean?" I asked shakily.**

"**I don't know. Maybe he's having an out of body experience or something."**

"**You mean like astral projection?"**

"**Yeah. We should go see what Dad thinks."**

"**Okay." He started walking, so I followed. "And, Sam, try to keep the fighting to a minimum, okay?"**

**Sam grinned sheepishly. "Will do."**

**When we got to John's room we told him what had happened. We told him how we'd each felt Dean in his room, how I'd felt him before that.**

"**What do you mean you felt something?" John asked.**

"**I mean, it felt like…like Dean. Like he was there, just out of eyeshot or something," Sam answered. "Do you think it's even possible? Do you think his spirit could be around?"**

"**Anything's possible."**

**Sam nodded. "We'll there's one way to find out."**

"**Where you goin'?"**

"**I gotta pick something up. I'll be back." Sam went to the door, but turned back around when John told him to wait.**

"**I promise I won't hunt this demon," John said. "Not until we know Dean's okay."**

**Sam nodded and left.**

"**Do you need anything?" I asked. "Or do you want me to stay? I wanna go back and sit with Dean."**

"**I wanna tell you something." I raised my eyebrows, wondering what he wanted. "He's fond of you."**

"**What?" That was random.**

"**Dean," John explained. "He's fond of you. He's stubborn and he's gonna try to push you away. Don't let him."**

**I smiled slightly. John was talking like he knew Dean was going to wake up, which was okay, because I needed to hear it. Even if I didn't believe it.**

**------------- -**

**When I got back to Dean's room. I curled up in the chair by the bed and nodded off. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep, but I heard someone calling me from a distance.**

**I opened my eyes. Dean was standing in front of me. _He _had been calling my name.**

"**Dean?" I whispered.**

**He seemed surprised. "You can hear me?"**

"**Why wouldn't I be able to hear you?" He moved out of my way. _Dean_ was still lying in the bed, tubes attached to him. I looked at him. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"**

**He sighed. "Well, you are asleep, but you aren't dreaming. You're astral projecting. I saw you were asleep and I called for you. I didn't think it'd actually work."**

"**Huh…" I stood up, looking at spirit-Dean. "I've read that while you sleep your soul roams free, but I've never experienced it before." I looked back at the chair where I'd been sitting, was still sitting physically. Weird. "This is trippy."**

"**Yeah, tell me about it."**

"**When I wake up, I'll just automatically go back in my body?" I asked.**

"**Yeah, something like that." Dean paused. "Where's Sam?"**

"**I don't know. He said he needed to pick something up and he'd be back."**

**As if on cue, Sam walked in. He was holding a brown paper bag. He looked at me-the me that was in the chair-and then at Dean-the one in the bed.**

"**Hey," he said softly. "I think maybe you're around, and if you are…don't make fun of me for this, but, um…there's one way we can talk." I watched as Sam took a box holding a Ouija board out of the bag he was holding.**

"**Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," Dean said.**

**Sam closed the door and then went to sit in the middle of the room. He put the board down in front of him and put the planchette on it, placing his fingers on the planchette.**

"**Dean? Are you here?"**

"**God, I feel like I'm at a slumber party," Dean said. I went to hit him on the arm, but my hand went _through_ him. I didn't try again.**

**Dean sat down across from Sam. "This isn't gonna work." He put his fingers on the other side of the planchette and it moved.**

**Sam seemed relieved and Dean was shocked.**

"**It's good to hear from you. It hasn't been the Sam without you, Dean." Sam was near tears.**

"**Damn straight." He began moving the planchette again.**

**Sam concentrated on the board. "H…U…N. Hunt? What, hunting? Are you hunting?" Dean moved the planchette to _yes_. "Dean, it's in the hospital, what you're hunting. Do you know what it is?"**

"**One question at a time, dude."**

"**What is it?" I asked.**

**Dean's hands began to move. "I don't think it's killing people. I think it's taking them. You know, their time is just up."**

"**A reaper," Sam said, looking at the board. "Dean? Is it after you?" Dean moved his hands to _yes_. "If it's here naturally…there's no way to stop it."**

"**Yeah, you can't kill death." So, he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. "I'm screwed, Sam."**

"**No," Sam and I said in unison.**

"**There's gotta be a way," Sam said, standing up. "Dad will know what to do." He went out the room.**

**Dean stood up, facing me. "Are you okay?"**

**I shook my head. "A reaper, huh?" Wow, _the_ death.**

"**Yeah." He paused for a second. "Hey, promise me somethin'."**

**I looked at him. Looked into his dark green-sometimes they were light green, almost like a blue-green-eyes. "Anything," I said. And I meant it.**

"**Stay with Sammy. For your sake and his." So we could watch over each other.**

**I stepped closer to him. "Where else am I gonna go?"**

**Sam came back in the room holding John's journal. He sat on the edge of Dean's bed.**

"**Hey. So, Dad wasn't in his room. But I got Dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's somethin' in here."**

**Sam opened the journal and began flipping through the pages, stopping on one about Reapers. Dean moved closer so he could read over Sam's shoulder.**

"**Son of a bitch." He began walking out the room.**

**I looked at my body in the chair and then at the door Dean had gone out of. I wondered if it was okay for me to follow. But then I figured, as he went, so went my nation. So I followed.**

"**Dean, what's going on?" I ran to catch up to him.**

"**I met this girl, I thought she was a spirit, like me, but now I think she's a reaper."**

"**Um…okay." I didn't know what to say, so I just kept walking.**

**We ended up in a room that was empty, save for a bed with a short black-haired girl sitting on it.**

"**Hi, Dean," she said. She looked at me, but didn't say anything.**

"**You know, you read the most interesting things," Dean said. "For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception? I sure didn't. Basically, they can make themselves appear however they want. Like say, um…a pretty girl. You're much prettier than the last reaper I met."**

"**I was wondering when you'd figure it out," she said.**

"**I should've known," Dean said, beginning to pace. "That whole _accepting fate_ rap of yours was far to laid back for a dead girl. But you know, the mother and the body…I'm still tryin' to figure that one out." I didn't know what he was talking about.**

"**It's my sandbox," she said patiently. "I can make you see whatever I want."**

**Dean looked at me, suspiciously. "Is she real?"**

"**She's very real," the reaper said.**

**Dean looked back at the reaper. "So, what is this, like a turn on for you? Huh? Toyin' with me?"**

"**You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and flipped out…kind of hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me."**

"**Okay, fine," Dean said. "We're talkin'. What the hell do you wanna talk about?"**

**I suddenly felt a pull in my chest and I gasped. It didn't hurt, it was just uncomfortable.**

"**What are you doin' to her?" Dean asked the reaper.**

"**I'm not doing it," she answered. "Her body is trying to wake up. She needs to get back to it. Or her connection will be broken. She'll be stuck."**

**I looked at Dean. "I can't leave you like this."**

**Dean looked away. "I don't think you have a choice." He sounded like he desperately wanted me to stay.**

"**Dean."**

**He looked at me now. "Go," he said firmly. "Don't die because of me."**

**I knew how Dean would feel if that actually happened, so I nodded, and whispered, "good-bye." And then I was floating away from him, being pulled back to my body.**

**------------- -**

**When I opened my eyes this time I was back in Dean's room. Minus spirit-Dean.**

**Sam was in the room. He looked at me when I stood up.**

"**Hey," I said. "Did you find anything?"**

"**What?"**

"**On the reaper. Do you know how to help Dean?"**

"**No," he said. "How did you know about that? You were asleep."**

"**Um…astral projection."**

**I explained all of what had happened and he seemed confused, but not surprised.**

"**How'd you do it?" he asked.**

"**I don't know," I said honestly. "Dean said he called for me. And people say when you're asleep your soul walks free…"**

"**Yeah, and it's emotion based. Like if you go to bed hungry or thirsty. You need something…makes it easier for it to happen."**

"**Like if I fell asleep missing someone? Needing them with me?" I sounded vulnerable again. I still hated it. I looked up at Sam. "He made me promise I'd stay with you."**

**A look of realization came over Sam's face. "He's giving up?"**

"**He doesn't have a choice," I said softly. "And, Sam,…the reaper wasn't evil. She has a job to do and she does it."**

**Sam looked at Dean. "We were just startin' to be brothers again." He had tears in his eyes, so mine filled up, too.**

**Suddenly, Dean was gasping for air, gagging around the tube that was down his throat, trying to sit up.**

**This made no sense. One minute he was dying and the next…Sam was trying to hold him down and calm him into steady breathing.**

**I ran outside to get a doctor and then we were shooed out of the room. They needed to run tests, they said.**

**------------- -**

**The doctor couldn't explain what had happened. The internal damage was healed. His vitals were good. It was a miracle.**

**Now that he was awake, though, we weren't allowed to stay with him. They said he'd needed his rest. So, Sam and I had left the hospital to go find a motel and we found one near the hospital.**

**I was able to take a shower, getting rid of the blood that I hadn't been able to get off at the hospital. When Sam had gone to get the Colt out of the Impala, he'd gotten our clothes, too. Bobby had taken the rest of the weapons back to his place.**

**As I stood there in the shower, water as hot as I could stand it, I began crying. The second time in the past 24 hours. The first time had been because Dean had been dying; this time it was because he was awake.**

**He was alive and safe. He _wasn't_ dying.**

**I had trouble sleeping that night. I didn't know why. Everything was fine. Everyone was fine.**

**When I woke up, Sam was still sleeping, seemingly peaceful. I stretched before standing up. I was gonna go see Dean and I didn't want to wake Sam up, so I left a note on a piece of motel stationary. I didn't want him to worry too much.**

**I got dressed-T-shirt and jeans-and walked out of the room as quietly as I could. I went to the hospital in a roundabout way because I wanted to get some coffee for me and Dean. I didn't know if he was allowed to drink it, but I bought him some anyway. I bought some for John too, because even though I didn't agree with his parenting methods, he was still a good man. Not to mention that making him drink hospital coffee while Dean and I had _real_ coffee was just evil.**

**When I got to the hospital I went to John's room first and saw he was lying down, but not sleeping. I handed him a coffee, which he thanked me for.**

"**No problem." I looked at him. "Have you gone to see Dean yet?"**

**He shook his head, almost sadly. "Nah. I didn't wanna take a chance on waking him up."**

"**Oh. Well, I'm going now. Do you wanna come with me?" I asked.**

**Again, he shook his head. "You should go be with him, though. I'll be there shortly."**

**I nodded, but didn't leave. "Are you okay?" I asked. "I mean, you're acting kinda strange, even for you."**

**John smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess I am. But yeah, I'm fine. Happy that Dean's okay."**

"**Oh." He didn't seem happy to me; he seemed resigned about something. "Um…well, if that's all, then I guess I'm gonna go."**

**He nodded, so I left. I made my way to Dean's room; he was sitting up in bed, looking worried and bored. Weird combination, but there you go.**

"**I come bearing gifts," I said. He smiled slightly when I set our coffees on the tray next to his bed. "Well, one gift, since the other one's mine."**

"**Is Sam with Dad?"**

**I looked at him sheepishly. "I came alone. He's at the motel sleeping."**

"**You came by yourself?"**

**I nodded. "And nothing happened. I'm fine."**

"**Yeah, yeah." He looked to the door and then back at me. "So, what happened?"**

"**What are you talking about?"**

"**Yesterday or whenever we got here. What happened?"**

**So I told him everything. I told him about how the demon had attacked me, how Sam had saved me. How, when we'd gotten to the hospital, Sam and I had felt Dean's spirit walking around and then how _my_ spirit had been walking around because he'd called for me when I'd been asleep. He didn't know what to make of that.**

**I told him about the reaper and then I told him about his car. I saved that for last. He wasn't exactly _mad_ because he'd expected it.**

"**So, you said a reaper was after me?"**

"**Yeah," I answered.**

"**How'd I ditch it?"**

"**I don't know." I sighed. "You really don't remember anything?" I remembered everything. Maybe it was because he'd been close to death and I'd only been sleeping.**

"**No." He began to fidget slightly.**

"**Are you okay?" I asked.**

"**No. I have this pit in my stomach. Something's wrong." He seemed so sure, so I didn't question it.**

**A knock came from the door and we both looked in that direction. Sam and John were standing there, both smiling slightly.**

"**How you feelin' dude?" John asked.**

"**Fine, I guess. I'm alive." Dean shrugged, but then grimaced in pain. Clearly, whatever had made him live, hadn't taken the pain away.**

"**That's what matters," John said, heartfelt.**

"**Where were you last night?" Sam asked him.**

**John looked at him, smile gone. "I had some things to take care of."**

"**Well, that's specific," Sam said sarcastically.**

**Dean looked at him in disapproval. "Come on, Sam." He was telling him to cut it out.**

"**Did you go after the demon?"**

"**No."**

"**You know, why don't I believe you right now?"**

"**Sam, would you stop already?" I asked, tired. "Dean just woke up, he's alive. You can fight later."**

"**She's right," John said. "I mean, half the time we're fightin', I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just buttin' heads." By that time, John's eyes were watering. Dean was right; something was wrong. "Look, Sammy, I…I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I don't wanna fight anymore, okay?"**

**I stepped forward, away from Dean. "John, are you okay?" I realized I'd asked that earlier in his room, but he was acting strange.**

"**Yeah," he said softly. "Yeah, I'm just a little tired." He looked at Sam. "Hey, would you mind, uh…would you mind getting me a cup of caffeine?"**

"**Yeah," Sam said. "Sure."**

**Sam began moving towards the door and John looked at me, nodding slightly at the door.**

"**Got it," I said, before following Sam out. He didn't need coffee, he had coffee; he wanted some time with Dean.**

**Sam and I walked towards the elevator-we were gonna go to the cafeteria-but I stopped for a second. "I don't like elevators."**

"**Why?"**

"**Promise not to laugh?" I asked.**

**Sam shook his head. "Every time someone says not to laugh it's usually because what they say will _make_ you laugh."**

"**Right. Well, there's three reasons. One, it could get stuck. Two, the cord could snap and we'd all die. And three, when it goes down it feels like I've left my stomach at the top."**

**He blinked a few times and took a deep breath. "You're paranoid, you know that?" We started walking again.**

"**I do, but the first two could happen and the third one _does_ happen."**

"**You didn't complain last night."**

"**Last night other things mattered more." I looked in the general direction of Dean's room.**

"**He cares about you, ya know," Sam said softly. "He probably won't admit it to himself, but he does."**

**I looked up at him. "You're the second person who's told me that." We reached the elevator and I pressed the down button. "Anyway, John told me Dean would try to push me away."**

"**Probably. Just…don't let him." Same words John had used.**

"**Stubborn love, huh?"**

**Sam tilted his head a little. "Love?"**

**I clenched my jaw and began pushing the down button repeatedly, impatiently.**

"**You love him?" I stopped pressing the button.**

"**It was a…figure of speech, all right?"**

**Sam shook his head, grinning. "No, it wasn't."**

**I grabbed his arm, letting him know I was serious. "Just…don't tell him, okay. And don't make fun of me, either."**

"**I won't tell him." He was serious. "And I'm not making fun." He grinned again. "I think it's cute."**

**I felt my face heat up. "Cute? You are making fun."**

"**No. I'm not. I mean it. I think you'd be good for him."**

"**What?" That shocked me. "Why?"**

"**Well, for one, you don't put up with his crap-or mine. You call us on it. But-and this isn't the only thing-you support him. You supported him more than I did these past couple days." He looked at the floor, almost like he was ashamed. "I can be pretty stubborn and sometimes I'm not there for him like I should be. It's good to know that at least _someone_ will be."**

**The elevator doors _finally_ opened and we stepped in, but before the door could close again, I got the chills. I pressed the open button to fully part the doors and stepped back outside.**

"**Uh, what are you doing?"**

"**Something's here," I said, walked away. He followed me. We went to Dean's room first. He was okay, still sitting there on the bed. Something was different, though. He looked like he was in shock.**

"**Stay here," Sam said and made his way down the hall.**

"**What's wrong?" Dean asked.**

"**Um…I'm not sure. I felt something."**

"**Somethin' bad?"**

**I sighed and nodded. Suddenly, I heard someone shout for help. I was sure it was Sam. I turned to go out the room, almost making it.**

"**Don't you dare leave without me," Dean said angrily.**

**I turned back around. He was trying to get out of bed. He was still pretty weak, so it wasn't working too well. I rushed over to him and put one arm around his waist while he put one arm around my shoulders. He was leaning on me, which was no easy feat, because compared to me, he weighed a ton.**

**We moved as fast as Dean could, going to John's room. Sam was waiting outside and, as we got to the door, I realized a bunch of doctors were in the room.**

**It was like déjà vu. John had been hooked up to a bunch of machines and a doctor was performing CPR. Only, last time I'd been in this situation, Dean had been the one the doctors were trying to bring back.**

**I looked at the heart monitor John was hooked up to; he didn't have a pulse.**

**Dean began squeezing my shoulder almost painfully, so I looked at him. He looked shocked again. He didn't know he was hurting me.**

**I brought my hand up and gently pried his off my shoulder, but didn't let go. His grip was tight on my hand, too.**

**I looked up at Sam. He was in tears. The only thing that was keeping me from crying was my confusion.**

**John had been fine. He'd been up walking around and everything. Then I'd gotten the chills and he was dead now.**

**The doctors gave up trying to bring him back. Time of death…10:41a.m. **

Hey, people. First chapter is up, obviously or you wouldn't be reading it. Anyway...I've gotta say I'm not too happy with this chapter, only because the episode is much better than this, I think. But unless you're Dean, it's not very action-packed, ya know. So, yeah, I did the best I could.

* * *


	2. Everybody Loves A Clown

**Hey, I have a question. Since I'm kinda going by the rating of the show, Teen is right, right? Or should it be mature? Because I know some parents won't let their kids watch stuff like this...and I think those kids are deprived, by the way. I just want to know because I don't want to have the wrong rating on here.**

**Also, I know this chapter is, like, super-long, but I didn't know where to separate it, so I just figured I would make it one chapter.**

**Everybody Loves A Clown**

**I was worried. It had been four days since Sam and Dean had burned John's body. It had been a full week since he'd died.**

**After we'd found John, all three of us had sort of gone into shock. Sam had snapped out of it first, then me, and Dean had snapped out of it, but then he became avoidy.**

**I had let them burn John's body without me. I figured it was a family thing, so I'd stayed with Bobby while they'd done that.**

**Aside from the fact that John was dead, we had three problems. One, we didn't have the Colt anymore; we were pretty sure _the_ demon had it. Two, Sam was becoming obsessed with either finding a job, probably to take his mind off of everything, and finding the demon. And when he wasn't doing that, he was constantly going through his dad's papers and cell phone; the cell phone was slowly becoming an issue because Sam couldn't figure out the voicemail code.**

**The third problem was Dean. Because of his avoidiness, he wouldn't speak unless spoken to and he hadn't cried…that I knew of. All he did was work on the car, eat, and sleep. Repeat when necessary. Or until insane. Whichever came first.**

**Oh, and Dean's alcohol consumption was quickly becoming an issue, too. I mean, he never got drunk-drunk, but it seemed like he always had a beer somewhere in the vicinity of him.**

**Anyway, all three of us were staying at Bobby's now. We each had our own room. I liked mine, it was homey. It looked like it hadn't been used in a while and it probably hadn't. It had a window with dark curtains that could block the sunlight if you wanted to sleep during the daytime.**

**I was downstairs now, watching Dean from the backdoor. He was now doing the first of the three things I said he did…working on his car, underneath it.**

**I knew he wouldn't talk to me even if I tried to get him to, but I didn't think him being alone was the best thing for him, so I went outside and went towards him.**

**Apparently, he had heard me, because he came out from underneath the car and gave me a warning glance.**

"**I'm just here," I said, looking at him. "Okay? He didn't answer me, but he didn't tell me to go away, either, so I assumed it was okay to stay there. He resumed doing whatever he'd been doing before. He rolled back under the car, which was on a jack. The passenger-side doors were missing; they were the ones that had been hit in the accident.**

"**I know you won't talk about what you're feeling and I'm not going to ask you to."**

**Dean continued working.**

"**Truth is…you're probably not feeling anything right now. Because you won't let yourself."**

**Dean stopped doing whatever he was doing to the car. He stopped moving, period. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not, but I continued talking anyway.**

"**Believe me, I get it. When my mom was killed I thought feeling numb was better than falling apart, better than losing control. It's not, though." Dean pulled himself from underneath the car and stood up. "Because if all you feel is numbness, then you can't actually deal with anything. And if you can't deal, then you can't move on…you can't accept it."**

**Dean turned to me and looked in my eyes. What I saw broke my heart. I'd expected him to be angry; he wasn't. He looked so lost. Like he didn't know what he was doing. Maybe he didn't.**

"**I'm trying," Dean said softly. I had to step closer to hear him. "To be strong. But I don't even know what I'm doing. I keep thinking I can't feel any worse than I already do…but-" He stopped talking and looked away from me. "I just…I don't wanna feel this."**

"**Because it hurts?" Dumb question, but I asked anyway.**

"**Yeah. So I shut down. That's the way I am." He was explaining himself to me. He thought he had to justify his actions to me? Wow.**

"**I did that for a while…when my mom died. But, eventually, I broke down. I actually ached because I cried so hard. And, Dean, you can break down around me. I won't hate you for it. I won't look down on you because of it. I'll actually respect you for it. I mean…you loved your dad…and you'll remember him always, but I promise you, you'll get better."**

"**How?"**

**It was a simple question, but the way he had asked it was heartbreakingly sad. Dean sounded like he was drowning and he was trying to find something to hold onto so he wouldn't stay under.**

**I wanted to hug him, comfort him, but I was finally getting somewhere with him and I didn't want to risk breaking the connection I'd made.**

"**I don't know. The how usually takes care of itself," I answered. "But you can't do it alone. I never would've gotten better if I hadn't had you and Sam. So don't shut me out here. You shouldn't shut Sam out, either. I mean, John was his dad too."**

**Dean nodded, but it looked like he was shutting down again, so I grabbed his arm. I was surprised when he didn't shake me off.**

"**Hey, I'm here if you need me." He looked at me. "I don't care when it is. It could be two in the morning and I wouldn't care. I'll help if I can."**

"**Yeah, okay." I didn't know if he meant it or not, but at least now he knew.**

**------------- -**

**Two days later, Dean was talking to us now without us having to speak to him first. And he wasn't drinking as much, which was a bonus.**

**He was still avoiding the main issue, though, which was that John was dead. John was dead and he wasn't coming back. I didn't think Dean had dealt with that yet.**

**Every time Sam or I asked if he was okay he would say he was fine, so I eventually stopped asking. The problem was that because he wouldn't talk about it, it was getting pent up and his grief was quickly turning into anger.**

**His routine was still pretty much the same. Get up, eat breakfast, work on the car, eat lunch, work on the car, eat dinner, work on the car until dark, drink a beer, and then go to bed.**

**I understood why working on the car was so important to him, though, and it wasn't because she was his baby. It was because he needed something he could fix, something he could bring back to life.**

**He was underneath the car again and I was sitting on the ground, beside the car, watching as he worked. He had been explaining what he'd been doing, but it had gone completely over my head, so he stopped.**

**Truth was, I hadn't really been paying attention to what he'd been saying because…he was sweaty and his shirt was clinging to his chest in _just the right way_…and mm!**

"**How's the car comin' along?" Sam asked, breaking me out of my thoughts, scaring me in the process. And, oh no, _perverted_ thoughts…I hadn't had them until I met Dean and started liking him. Anyway, Sam must have come out of the house while I'd been absorbed in my Dean thoughts.**

"**Slow," was Dean's answer.**

"**Yeah? Need any help?"**

**Dean got some pipe thing off the car and put it on the ground. "You under a hood? I'll pass." The old Dean would've laughed while saying that; this one didn't. I didn't know how to act around this Dean. I couldn't joke around with him and that had been part of his charm. This wasn't _my_ Dean.**

"**Need anything else then?" Sam was moving around awkwardly. He didn't know how to act, either.**

"**Stop it, Sam," Dean said, sliding out from underneath the car.**

"**Stop what?"**

"**Stop askin' if I need anything. Stop askin' if I'm okay. I'm okay, really. I promise."**

**He stood up to put a wrench on a worktable nearby. I stood up, too. Mostly because I felt really small with these two hovering over me while I was sitting down. I felt small even when I was standing up, though.**

"**All right," Sam said. "Dean, it's just…we've been at Bobby's for over a week now and you haven't brought up Dad once."**

**I wanted to tell Sam to back off, that Dean would talk when he was ready, but I knew Sam was only pushing because he was worried. So I didn't.**

"**You know what, you're right," Dean said, looking at Sam. "Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, maybe we can slow dance." His face turned up into a sarcastic smile. I didn't like it. It was full of pain and it didn't fit right on his face.**

"**Don't patronize me, Dean," Sam said angrily. "Dad is dead! The Colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you're actin like nothin' happened."**

"**What do you want me to say?" Dean asked heatedly.**

"**Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? All you do is sit out here all day long, buried underneath this damn car!"**

"**Revenge, huh?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Sounds good," Dean said. He was angry. "You got any leads on where the demon is? Are you makin' heads or tails of any of Dad's research? 'Cause I sure ain't." Not that he'd tried. "But you know what, when we do finally find it…oh, no, wait. Like you said, the Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothin', Sam. Okay? So you know what? The only thing I can do is I can work on this car."**

**Sam was glaring at Dean and Dean was glaring right back.**

"**Guys, cut it out. You're bickering like an old married couple."**

"**Fine," Sam said, sighing. "And we _do_ have something. That's what I came out here to tell you." He pulled a cell phone out of the pocket of his jeans. "It's one of Dad's old phones. It took me a while, but I cracked the voicemail code." He held the phone out to Dean, but Dean just looked at it like it was cursed. Sam took it back. "There was a message that was four months old. It was from some woman named Ellen Harvelle. She said she could help."**

"**Dad saved that chick's message for four months?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Well, who is she. Have you ever heard of her?" I asked.**

"**No," Sam answered. "And she's not in Dad's journal. But I ran a trace on the phone number and I got an address."**

**Sam and I looked at Dean. It was up to him what we did now.**

"**Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars."**

**------------- -**

**We ended up having to use a dilapidated old minivan, which I refused to drive. We made Dean drive.**

**I'd brought my Ipod along because I knew it was gonna be a tense car ride. It didn't really help, though, because the van creaked and I could hear it over my music.**

**We were heading to a place called Harvelle's Roadhouse, a place I assumed was owned by Ellen. It wasn't that far away from Bobby's and we were almost there.**

"**This is humiliating," Dean said, talking about the van.**

"**It's the only car Bobby had running," Sam reminded him.**

"**Yeah, but I feel like a freakin' soccer mom."**

"**It's just a car, Dean," I said.**

"**I didn't see you jumping up and down to drive it."**

**I rolled my eyes. He was right. I hadn't wanted to drive it.**

**We pulled into a long dirt road, and I saw a little building a little down the way. When we reached it, the three of us got out of the van. There was a lone gas pump a few yards away and a pay phone. Neither looked like they worked.**

**The building itself looked a little rundown, but it looked sturdy enough.**

**Dean peaked through a window. "There's nobody in there." So Sam picked the lock and we went in.**

**There was a bar, along with a few stools, near the door. It was dusty, but other than that it was clean. There were a few tables and chairs scattered around the room. There was a jukebox pushed up against the wall. There was a pool table on the other side of the room…and there was a man sleeping on it. So there _was_ someone in here. Someone who'd had one too many beers, apparently.**

"**I'm guessing that isn't Ellen," I said.**

**Dean moved closer to the guy, Sam moved towards a door he'd spotted, and I stayed by the bar. Suddenly something nudged me in the back. I guess it was a gun because I heard someone cock it.**

"**Don't move," a female voice said.**

**Dean turned to look in my direction.**

"**Um…not moving, got it." Lie. I spun around and grabbed the gun out of her hands. It was a rifle. I didn't know how to use a rifle.**

**The girl swung at me, but I blocked it. Thank you, self-defense…and fast reflexes. It was still hard, though, blocking a punch with one hand and holding a rifle in the other.**

**She'd seemed surprised, though, that I'd blocked her hit at all. I used the palm of my hand to push her back a few steps; she knocked into a table.**

**I threw the gun to Dean, who uncocked it, a bullet falling to the ground.**

"**Sam, a little help in here," Dean called out.**

**My eyes were trained on the girl I'd knocked back. She had brown eyes and slightly wavy blond hair. She didn't look scared of me, which was good, because I didn't want her to be.**

"**Sorry, Dean. I can't right now. I'm uh…a little tied up." Through my peripheral vision, I saw that Sam had his hands behind his head, a gun being held on him. Did these people get off on this or something?**

"**Sam? Dean?" the woman holding a gun on Sam said. "Winchester?"**

"**Yeah," the boys answered in unison.**

"**Son of a bitch," she said.**

"**Mom, you know these guys?" the blond girl asked.**

"**Yeah. I think these a John Winchester's boys." She laughed, lowering her gun. "Hey, I'm Ellen. That's my daughter, Jo." She nodded at Blondie. Neither of them asked my name. I guess they assumed that since I was with Sam and Dean, I was okay.**

"**Hey," she said to me.**

"**Hi. You're not gonna try and hit me again, are you?"**

**She shook her head, grinning. "But you can't be too careful, ya know?"**

"**Right."**

"**You called our dad and said you could help," Dean said, looking at Ellen. "Help with what?"**

"**Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it."**

"**Was there an article in _The Demon Hunters Quarterly_ that I missed? I mean, who-who are you? How do you know about all this?"**

"**Hey. I just run a saloon," Ellen said placatingly. "But hunters have been know to pass through now and again, including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once."**

"**Oh yeah? How come he's never mentioned you before?" That was mean.**

"**Dean," I whispered.**

"**You'd have to ask him that."**

**Dean looked down at the floor and then back up at Ellen. "So why exactly do we need your help?"**

"**Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if…" she trailed off and it clicked. "He didn't send you." She swallowed. "He's all right, isn't he?"**

**Neither of the boys answered. "No. No, he isn't," I said.**

"**It was the demon, we think," Sam put in. "It, um…just got him before he got it, I guess."**

**Ellen paused, taking that in. "I'm so sorry," she said, looking at Dean.**

"**It's okay. We're all right."**

"**Really? I know how close you and your dad were."**

**Dean was close to snapping. I didn't want him frightening the poor woman, not that she looked easily frightened. "Drop it," I said softly. "Please?" She didn't press.**

"**Look, if you can help…" Sam began, "we could use all the help we can get." Dean glared at him.**

"**Well, we can't," Ellen said. "But Ash will."**

"**Who's Ash?" I asked.**

"**Ash!" Ellen said loudly. The man that was sleeping on the pool table woke up, startled. I'd forgotten about him. He stood up. He was a Joe Dirt wannabe and he had a long mullet**

"**What?" he asked. "Closin' time?"**

**I had to bite the inside of my cheek, hard, to keep from bursting out laughing.**

"**That's Ash?"**

"**Mm-hm," Jo answered. "He's a genius."**

**I giggled. It was rude, but I couldn't help it. He looked at me, suddenly interested.**

"**And what's your name?" he asked. He had a Southern accent.**

"**Um…Alyson Daniels," I said, blushing at the unwanted attention.**

"**Where have they been hidin' you?"**

"**In the backseat of an Impala," I said with a straight face.**

"**Ah, so, can I get you a drink?" Oh, he was flirting with me. This was bad.**

"**I'm only eighteen," I replied.**

**Ash shrugged. "So?"**

"**So, she doesn't drink," Dean said, coming to stand beside me. "Hey, how about you get Dad's stuff out of the van."**

**I sighed in relief. Dean to the rescue. "I would _love_ to get that stuff." The briefest of smiles played over his face, but, just like that, it was gone.**

**------------- -**

**When I got back into the Roadhouse, Sam and Ash were sitting at the bar, Dean was standing by Sam, and Jo was behind the bar, pouring them beer from a pitcher.**

**I went towards the bar, sat beside Sam and put the file folder with John's papers on the counter. Dean reached over and grabbed it.**

"**All right. This stuff's about a year's worth or our dad's work, so, uh…let's see what you make of it," he challenged. He slid it towards Ash, sitting beside me, putting himself between me and Ash…which was fine with me.**

**Ash opened the folder and started going through the stack of papers in it. "Come on. This crap ain't real. Ain't nobody can track a demon like this."**

**Sam and Dean looked at each other and then back at Ash. "Our dad could," Sam said.**

**Ash hesitated before looking back at the papers. "These are nonparametric statistical overviews, cross-spectrum correlations. I mean, damn. They're signs…omens. Um, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms." He paused. "You ever been struck by lightning? It ain't fun."**

**I grinned. "No, I bet it isn't. But can you track it or not?"**

"**Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time. Uh, give me…" he trailed off, thinking, "fifty-one hours." He put the papers back in the folder and stood up to walk away. He went into a back room.**

**I started laughing again. This was unreal. "I guess that's why you never judge a book by its cover."**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed. Ellen got behind the bar, wiping it off. "Hey, Ellen, what is that?"**

"**It's a police scanner." I looked to where Sam was looking. "We keep tabs on things." There was a folder beside it.**

**Dean got up from where he was sitting and went to sit at one of the tables. Now that Ash was gone he didn't seem too worried about keeping tabs on me. Hm. I wondered what that meant.**

"**No. The folder," Sam said.**

"**Uh…I was gonna give this to a friend of mine, but take a look if you want." She picked it up, brought it over to us, and put it on the counter. It was a white file folder with words marked on the front. A married couple had been killed by a _clown_. Left the kid alive. The girl said she saw the clown vanish into thin air.**

**I looked over at Dean; Jo was sitting on the edge of his table. I grabbed the file folder from in front of Sam and got up from my stool. I walked to Dean's table and placed the folder in front of him.**

"**Check it out," I said. I looked at Jo, smiling brightly. "Hi." Then I sat down.**

**She sighed. "Hi."**

**Sam came up behind Dean. "Look to me like there might be a hunt."**

"**Yeah, so?"**

"**So…shouldn't we check it out?" I asked.**

"**Yeah, I guess," Dean said reluctantly.**

**I hopped up from the table, grabbing the folder. "Let's go."**

**Neither Dean nor Sam moved. They just looked at me as if I were on drugs.**

"**Chill," Dean said. "We don't have to go right this second. This thing will be there tomorrow."**

"**Yeah, but the future victims might not be." I seemed to be getting to him. "So let's go."**

**------------- -**

**Medford, Wisconsin…that's where we were headed. We'd been in the van for almost five hours and we had four more to go. It was night now, and it was raining heavily, the windshield wipers making an annoying clicking noise every time they came up.**

"**You've gotta be kidding me. A killer clown?" Dean asked. It was the first thing he'd said about the case since we'd been in the van.**

"**Yeah, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents-ripped them to pieces, actually," Sam answered.**

"**And this family was at some carnival that night?"**

"**Right. The Cooper Carnival."**

"**So, how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?"**

"**Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearin' down shop. Alibis all around."**

"**Plus," I said, "the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air."**

"**Cops are sayin' trauma, of course."**

"**I bet I know what you're thinkin', Sam," Dean said. "Why did it have to be clowns?"**

**Sam scoffed. "Give me a break."**

**Dean laughed. It wasn't genuine and I didn't like it. Like the smile he'd used earlier, the laugh didn't fit him.**

"**You didn't think I'd remember, did you?" Dean asked. "I mean, come on, you still bust out cryin' whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television."**

"**At least I'm not afraid of flying," Sam shot back.**

"**Planes crash," Dean and I said in unison.**

"**Yeah, and apparently clowns kill," Sam retorted.**

"**Or this one does, anyway," I said.**

**Dean couldn't argue with that. "So, these types of murders…they ever happen before?"**

"**Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus. Same M.O. It happened three different times, three different locales."**

"**That's weird, though," Dean said. "I mean, if it is a spirit, it's usually _bound_ to a specific locale-a house or a town."**

"**So, how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?"**

**Neither of the guys said anything. A thought popped into my head. "Cursed object, maybe. You know, like that painting in New York." It had killed each of its owners, or, well, the spirit that had been bound to the object did.**

"**Hm…" Dean considered. "Spirit attaches itself to something and the carnival carries it around with them."**

"**Great," Sam said sarcastically. "A paranormal scavenger hunt."**

"**Hey, this case wasn't my idea," Dean said. "You guys were awfully quick to jump on this job." He looked at Sam. "Why is that?" He looked back at the road.**

"**I don't know. I just think takin' this job…it's what Dad would've wanted us to do."**

"**What Dad would've wanted?" Dean asked skeptically.**

"**Yeah," Sam answered. "So?"**

**Dean didn't answer for about six seconds. "Nothin'." He sighed.. "What about you?" He looked through the rearview mirror at me.**

"**What about me what?"**

"**This job?" Dean said. "Why'd you wanna take it?"**

**I couldn't just say _because Jo was making googly eyes at you_ because that was dumb and I had overreacted just a wee bit. So I shrugged.**

"**People to save, evil to kill."**

"**Hm."**

**That was all that was said about the case for the drive.**

**When we got to the carnival the next morning, there were cops there.**

"**Hey, stay in the car," Dean said to Sam and me. "I'll be right back."**

**As soon as Dean was beyond hearing distance, Sam turned to look at me, not saying anything.**

"**What?" I asked patiently.**

"**Nothin'. It's just…you wanted to leave the Roadhouse awfully fast."**

"**So?"**

"**A pretty little blond wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?"**

"**What?" I asked, feigning shock. "No. I just…" I trailed off, sighing. "Okay, yes. I got a little jealous, but that won't happen again. I probably made a fool of myself."**

"**Probably," Sam agreed. "But that's okay."**

**I smiled slightly. Dean came back a few minutes later.**

"**There were two more murders last night," he said. "Apparently, they were ripped to shreds, and they had a little boy with them."**

"**Who fingered a clown?" Sam asked.**

**Dean looked at Sam strangely because of his choice of words and I snorted. Yes, I actually snorted.**

"**What?" Sam asked. He didn't get it. That made me laugh. It wasn't my fault, really. I hadn't slept any, so I was getting giddy.**

"**Nothin'," Dean said. "Never mind. And, yes, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air."**

"**Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object…it's like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. It could be anything," Sam said.**

"**Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything."**

**Sam scoffed. "Oh, good. That's nice and…inconspicuous"**

**I rolled my eyes. "Or…you could use the human EMF meter you have right here," I said, pointing to myself. "Just a suggestion."**

**Sam and Dean looked at each other and then looked at me. "All right. Let's go."**

**We got out of the van. "Where are we going? I mean, we can't just walk in."**

"**We're not going to," Dean said. "I saw a _help_ _wanted_ sign on one of the tents."**

**------------- -**

**We entered the tent with the help wanted sign. It had been signed by a J. Cooper. And I immediately got the chills. The thing we were looking for was in the tent.**

**There was a man throwing knives against a target, hitting the middle every time. Wow.**

"**Excuse me," Dean said, the man pausing between throws. "We're looking for Mr. Cooper. Have you seen him around?"**

**The guy turned around-he'd been wearing sunglasses, but was now taking them off-and said, "what is that? Some kind of joke?" His eyes were bluish-white. He was blind. Oops.**

"**Oh, God. I'm sorry," Dean said, sincerely, the older Dean shining through…_my_ Dean. But, like earlier, he disappeared quickly.**

"**You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper or a sunset or anything at all?"**

"**Wanna give me a little help here?" Dean muttered to Sam and me.**

"**Not really," Sam answered.**

"**Hey, Barry, is there a problem?" someone said from behind me.**

**The three of us turned around; a _very_ short guy was standing there. I would never curse my shortness again, because _I_ was taller than this guy, which was saying something because I was only five-three. Anyway, this guy was wearing a, what could only be called, flamboyant suit. He had a red sequined cape around his neck, flowing down his back and he was holding a metal baton.**

"**Yeah, this guy hates blind people," Barry, the knife thrower, said.**

"**What?" Dean said. "No, I don't."**

"**Hey, buddy, what's your problem?" the short man asked.**

"**Nothing, it's just a little misunderstanding."**

"**Little? You son of a bitch!" He raised his baton towards Dean.**

"**Hey," I said, getting in between them. The short guy paused. "He didn't mean anything by it." I turned to look at Dean. "Maybe you just shouldn't say words." I looked back at the short guy. "Now, can one of you tell me where Mr. Cooper is?"**

"**He's probably in his trailer," Barry said reluctantly.**

**I turned towards him. "Thank you." I paused. "And you guys shouldn't be so defensive about your conditions. I mean, you _do_ display them every night."**

**Sam, Dean, and I quickly left the tent. "It's in there," I said.**

"**What's in there?" Dean asked.**

"**Whatever we're looking for," I replied.**

"**You felt something?" Sam asked, and I nodded. "Could you tell what it was?"**

"**Mm-mm." I shook my head. "I could just tell it was in that tent." I paused. "So, we still have to try to get jobs?"**

"**Yup." So we found the trailer Barry had been talking about,-there was a trailer for each of the performers, too- knocked on the door, and was let in by a middle-aged balding man. He introduced himself as Mr. Cooper and asked what we wanted. We told him we wanted to become part of his team.**

"**You three picked a hell of a time to join up. We got all kinds of local trouble."**

"**What do you mean?" Dean asked.**

"**A couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first." He paused, looking at us, probably considering what to say. "You guys don't look like you've worked a show before. Have you?"**

"**Nope," I said honestly. "But we really need the work." Not so honest on that one.**

"**And Sam here has got a thing for the bearded lady," Dean added, shaking his head. Sam glared at him and I tried to keep a straight face.**

"**You see that picture?" Cooper asked, pointing to a picture behind him. "That's my daddy." It was of a man standing in front of a Ferris Wheel. The man was in a suit and hat. You could definitely see the family resemblance. They looked a lot alike.**

"**He was in the business. Ran a freak show till they outlawed 'em most places. Apparently, displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So, most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress, I guess. You see, this place is a refuge for outcasts, always has been, for folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you three…you should go to school, get married, have two-point-five kids…live regular."**

"**Sir," Sam said. "We don't wanna go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this."**

**Cooper shrugged. "All right. You can start out as the clean up crew."**

**Cleaning up after a whole boatload of other people? I mentally groaned. The things I did to help people.**

**------------- -**

**After we left the trailer we started making our way back to the van…in carnival jackets. We were starting that day.**

"**So, that whole, uh, _I don't wanna go back to school_ thing…were you just sayin' that to Cooper, or were you, ya know, sayin' it?" Sam just kept walking. "Sam?"**

"**I don't know."**

"**You don't know? I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State."**

"**I'm havin' second thoughts," Sam said.**

"**Really?" Dean asked. They stopped walking and turned to face each other.**

"**Yeah." Sam nodded. "Yeah, I think…Dad would've wanted me to stick to the job."**

"**Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doin' exactly what he didn't want, Sam."**

**Sam sighed. "Since he died. Okay?" Dean looked away from him. "You have a problem with that?"**

"**No." Dean smirked. "I don't have a problem at all," he said, walking away.**

**------------- -**

"**Driving the van was nothing compared to this," I said, rubbing at my Cooper Carnival jacket. "I mean, we have skills. We could've done something else."**

"**Yeah?" Dean asked. "What would you have done?"**

"**I don't know." I picked up a piece of trash and put it in a bag Dean was holding. Sam wasn't with us; he'd gone to a different part of the carnival. "I'm flexible. I could have been the Human Pretzel or somethin'."**

"**Really?"**

"**Oh, yeah. I'm extremely bendy," I said. I realized what were talking about and how Dean might take it-the me being flexible thing-so I changed the subject. "You know, we could've just bought tickets. We didn't have to say we wanted to work here. We already know where the thing is that we're lookin' for."**

"**We wouldn't have been able to go in that tent again," Dean said. "And, you never know, the object might get moved or something."**

"**Yeah, yeah."**

**Dean's cell phone rang, so he picked it out of his pocket and answered. "Hello?"**

"**Hey, speakerphone," I reminded him. "It it's Sam."**

**He sighed, but reluctantly put it on.**

"**Hey, man," Sam said from the other end. He sounded a little panicked.**

"**What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a clown."**

"**Very funny," Sam responded. "A skeleton, actually."**

"**Like a real, human skeleton?" I asked.**

"**Yeah, in the funhouse. Listen, I was thinking what if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object? What if it's attached to its own remains?"**

"**Did the bones give off EMF?" Dean asked.**

"**Well, no, but-"**

"**We should check it out anyway," Dean interrupted. "We're heading to you." He hung up.**

**Well, if the bones were what was keeping the spirit here, then maybe I'd felt the spirit in the tent earlier and not an object it was attached to.**

**We had to dump the bag in the dumpster and then we went to the funhouse, where Sam was waiting outside.**

**I sensed something was around just as a little girl said, "Mommy, look at the clown."**

**The little girl and her parents were standing a little bit away from us. She was pointing somewhere to the left of us, but when we looked, there was nothing there.**

"**What do we do now?" I asked.**

"**We keep an eye on them and follow them home."**

**So we did just that.**

**------------- -**

**By the time night fell, we were parked in front of the little girl's house in that creaky van. I was in the backseat using my laptop, thanking God for wireless internet, researching the murders that were connected to the carnival.**

**Eventually, I looked up the carnival itself and then Mr. Cooper.**

"**Um, guys?"**

"**What?" Sam turned to look at me.**

"**I may have found something else. Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers." I paused, thinking. "Since I don't think it's the bones…whatever this spirit is attached to, Cooper probably brought it with him."**

"**Sounds about right," Sam said. "Good job."**

**I shrugged. "I learned from you guys." I saw Dean start shaking his head in the driver-seat. "What?"**

"**I can't believe we keep talking about clowns and carnivals."**

"**Oh," I said. "You wanna know what I can't believe? That I've been up for thirty-six hours."**

"**Well, why don't you lay down and try to sleep?" Dean asked.**

"**Because if I go to sleep, I won't wake up when that family gets attacked."**

"**Sam and I can take care of it. Besides, when you lack sleep, you get silly. It could get you hurt."**

**Okay, they were all valid points. They _could_ take care of it. I _did_ get silly, and I _could_ get hurt. I'd heal automatically, but I could still get hurt.**

**So I closed my computer and then I laid across the backseat. A few minutes later I was dead to the world.**

**------------- -**

**The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake by Dean, he was telling me we had to go. I opened my eyes, sat up, and looked around. It was bright, daylight. We were parked under a patch of trees.**

"**How long was I out?" I asked, scooting out the van.**

"**Almost fourteen hours. We had to fire a shotgun in that family's house. You didn't wake up."**

"**Hm. I've always been a hard sleeper." I looked at Sam, who was packing a bag, and then back at Dean. "Where are we going?"**

"**Away from the van. We'll come back for it later. Besides, I hate this freakin' thing anyway." We grabbed our stuff-weapons and clothes-and started walking down a long stretch of road. "Well, one thing's for sure," Dean said.**

"**What?" I asked.**

"**We're not dealin' with a spirit. That rock salt hit somethin' solid."**

"**Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam suggested.**

"**That dresses like a clown?" I asked, grinning. I looked at Dean and then at Sam. "Did you, uh…did you check John's journal?"**

"**Yeah," Sam said. "Nothing." He took out his cell phone.**

"**Who you callin'?" Dean asked.**

"**Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash will know somethin'," Sam answered. He didn't dial the number. "Hey, you think, uh…you think Dad and Ellen ever had a thing?"**

"**No way," Dean said confidently.**

"**Yeah, I think your mom was the only woman he ever thought about," I agreed.**

"**Then why didn't he tell us about her?"**

"**I don't know," Dean said. "Maybe they had a fallin' out."**

"**Yeah," Sam said. He let out a short laugh. "You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?" Dean didn't say anything. "Well, don't get all maudlin on me, man."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**I mean this strong, silent thing of yours. It's crap. I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talkin' about. This is Dad. I know how you felt about the man."**

"**You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to-"**

"**No, that not what this is about, Dean," Sam interrupted. "I don't care how you deal with this, but you _have_ to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just wanna make sure you're okay."**

"**Dude, I'm okay," Dean said. "I'm okay!" he was shouting now. "I swear the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm gonna start throwin' punches. These are your issues. Quit dumpin' 'em on me."**

**They stopped walking; I didn't. Things seemed like they were about to get ugly. I wanted out of it. The thing was they were yelling, so I could hear them anyway.**

"**I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, _Oh, what would Dad want me to do?_ Sam, you spent your entire life sluggin' it out with that man. I mean, hell, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him, and now that he's dead, now you wanna make it right? Well, I'm sorry, Sam, but you can't. It's too little, too late."**

**I didn't hear Sam's response, but it made Dean yell louder.**

"**I want you to be honest with yourself about this! I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are you?"**

**I turned around at that. Sam was standing stock-still, but then suddenly he was turning around walking away from Dean. Not that I blamed him, because that had probably hurt.**

**Dean looked at the ground, shaking his head, and then he was walking toward me. I didn't move. I let him catch up to me in his own time.**

"**Where's Sam going?"**

"**To call Ellen," he answered.**

"**Oh." Neither of us resumed walking. "So, are you gonna say something to me?"**

"**What?"**

"**I don't know. You seem to be saying hurtful things to everybody lately. You can't deal and you lay it off on us."**

"**I'm dealing-"**

"**No, you're not," I interrupted shortly. "Neither of you are. But Sam's doing a hell of a lot better than you are. At least he's not lashing out randomly."**

**He clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything. Neither of us did until Sam came back and told us he thought we were hunting a rakshasa.**

"**It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures. They appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited in."**

"**They dress up like clowns, and children invite them in," I put in.**

"**Yeah," Sam said.**

"**Why don't they just munch on the kids?" Dean asked. He didn't seem mad anymore. Man, it was hard to keep up with him these days, It was like he had split personality disorder or something.**

"**They wouldn't make a big enough meal," I said.**

"**Hm. What else you find out?"**

"**Well, apparently, rakshasa's live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects."**

"**Ew," I said. "That's pretty gross. But I guess dead insects are better than live ones."**

"**Yeah," Sam said, "and they have to feed a few times every twenty to thirty years…slow metabolism, I guess."**

"**That makes sense," Dean put in. "The carnival today, the Bunker Brothers in '81."**

"**Right. Probably more before that."**

"**And who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asked.**

"**Cooper?"**

"**Cooper." That didn't set well with me. I didn't get the heebie-jeebies from him. "You know, that picture of his father…that looked just like him."**

"**You think maybe it _was_ him?"**

"**No," I said. "I'm not buyin'. I got nothing from him. It was in the tent. I mean, I'm not saying it was one of the people that we saw, since this thing can make itself invisible, but it's not Cooper."**

"**Well, whoever it was…do we know how to kill it?"**

"**Legend goes a dagger made of pure brass."**

"**I think I know where to get one of those," Dean said.**

"**Knife guy?" I asked, talking about the guy we'd met, Barry.**

"**Yup," Dean nodded.**

"**Well, before we go stabbin' things into Cooper, we're gonna wanna make damn sure it's him," Sam said.**

"**Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy," Dean joked and Sam smiled. They seemed to be okay now, even though they'd been arguing not fifteen minutes ago.**

"**Um…I thought we already established that it _wasn't_ him."**

"**Well, we wanna make sure," Sam said.**

"**Okay. But it's a waste of time."**

"**Anyway…" Dean started. "All right, I'll round up the blade. You guys go check and see if Cooper's got bedbugs."**

"**Well, we can't do that until tonight," Sam said. "What do you guys wanna do until then?"**

**As if on cue, my stomach growled loudly. "Find a place to eat?" I suggested. I looked at Dean. "We can even have pie."**

**He smiled an almost genuine smile. "Pie is good. I like pie."**

"**Well, all right. Looks like we got a plan." And as long as that plan didn't involve arguing again, I was okay with it.**

**------------- -**

**We'd walked for a while until we'd found a halfway decent diner and then we'd gone in. So we were now sitting at one of the tables, waiting for our food to arrive.**

**Sam and Dean seemed to be getting along well enough. Dean seemed to be genuinely sorry for saying what he had and Sam had forgiven him. Probably because he knew Dean never would've said that if he hadn't been hurting.**

**I'd forgiven him, too, even though he hadn't really done anything to me. But the fact was, I was worried and Dean didn't want us to worry about him. That was part of the reason he kept telling us he was all right; the other reason was because he was trying to convince himself.**

**------------- -**

**It had been a pretty boring day, waiting for night to get here, but it finally had. And we were at the carnival, watching as all the visitors were leaving. The lights on the rides were still on, which lit up most of the area. We had our Cooper Carnival jackets on again, so we wouldn't get kicked out.**

**Dean had gone to search out Barry, the knife thrower, and Sam and I were trying to pick the lock on Cooper's trailer.**

"**I've said it before and I'll say it again," I began, "it's _not_ him."**

**When we got inside, we went towards the bed in the corner. Sam took out a knife from his pocket-a switchblade-and brought it towards the mattress.**

**I heard the sound of a gun being cocked and turned toward the sound. Cooper was there, a rifle in his hands. Man, what was with people liking to hold guns on me? Especially when I don't hear them until they're right behind me.**

"**What do you think you're doin'?" he asked.**

"**Um…checking for bedbugs?" I said sheepishly.**

"**What?"**

"**You know what, never mind," Sam said, standing up. He closed the knife and put it back in his pocket. "It's not him."**

**I looked at Sam. "Oh, are we catching up now?"**

"**I think you two should leave," Cooper said.**

"**That's a very good idea," I said. "Just don't shoot us." He didn't, but he did keep the rifle trained on us until we were out the door.**

"**We have to find Dean," Sam said, "let him know it's not Cooper." We couldn't call him on the cell phone because if he was hiding, it could announce his presence**

"**Like I said," I reminded him.**

"**Fine, you were right and we should have listened," Sam said. "Are you happy?"**

"**Very," I said, smiling. "Now, let's go find your slightly unbalanced brother."**

**We went toward Barry's trailer-we figured Barry wouldn't be in the tent since it was closing time-and saw Dean pretty much fall out the door. He seemed a little freaked out.**

"**Hey," I said, when we reached him.**

"**Hey," he said. "It's the blind guy. He's here somewhere." That made sense since Barry had been in the tent.**

"**Well, did you get the thing?" I asked.**

"**The brass blades?" I nodded. "No. It's just been one of those days."**

"**What do we do now? We don't have anything to kill this thing with."**

"**I got an idea," Sam said. "Come on." He began running, Dean and I followed. He was heading to the funhouse. When we got inside I saw mirrors everywhere. It was creepy in a completely normal, human way.**

**We walked a little ways in and suddenly we were separated. Two doors slid closed in front of me and Dean. We were on one side, Sam was on the other.**

"**Sam!" Dean called out, trying to pull the doors apart.**

"**You guys have to find the maze," Sam said from the other side.**

**So Dean and I turned around and began walking in the other direction. A few feet down, there was a hallway leading to the left, so we took it. I could hear music playing; it sounded like it was coming from an organ. Then I realized something was coming. Or was already there.**

"**We gotta go!" I said, moving faster.**

"**It's coming?" Dean asked. I nodded, making him speed up.**

**We found Sam, who was trying to remove a pip, a _brass_ pipe, from the organ I'd thought I'd heard.**

"**Hey," Dean said, announcing our presence.**

"**Hey," Sam said, turning to us. "Where is it?"**

**They both looked at me. "I don't know. I just know it's close."**

"**Shouldn't we see his clothes walkin' around?" Dean asked.**

**Sam got the pipe out of the organ and turned around, slowly moving forward.**

**Something flashed right in front of my face and then Dean was being held against the wall. I saw a knife sticking out of his jacket. _That_ had been what had passed by my face. I'd actually felt the breeze from it.**

**I heard a clang and looked toward the sound. Sam had dropped the pipe because he was now being pinned to the wall, too.**

**Oh, great. That meant I was next. I went over to the pipe and picked it up. Suddenly, steam was filling the room and I didn't know if the creature was doing it or not, but it was making it a little hard to see anything.**

"**Behind you," I heard Dean shout.**

**I didn't even turn around. I just brought the pipe to my side and shoved backwards hard. I hit something, so I turned and looked. Blood was coming out of the end of the pipe, but it was moving towards me. I took a step back and then did a jump kick, my foot shoving the pipe in further.**

**I saw the outline of something falling to the floor and then I heard two something's clatter to the ground. The steam was clearing from the room and that was all I noticed. The only thing I could think about was that I'd killed something. I didn't like it even though the thing had been evil. The fact that the blood from this thing was red like human blood didn't help at all.**

**Something hit me on the arm and when I looked I realized it had been Dean. He looked worried.**

"**Hey, you okay?"**

**I could see a pile of clothing with the brass pipe on top of it, now that the steam had cleared. "I-I killed it." It was hard to get that sentence out.**

"**Yeah, but you saved our lives," Sam said, coming up on my other side. I assumed the things I'd heard fall to the floor were the knives. "That thing would've killed us."**

**I knew what he said was true, so I nodded. But it didn't make me feel any better, not really.**

**------------- -**

**We stayed at a motel that night-we would get the van tomorrow-and I rented out a separate room because I needed to be alone. I was still pretty shaken up from killing the rakshasa. I think the guys knew that, so they didn't object.**

**As soon as I'd gotten in my room I put salt at the door and windows. I then took a shower because I felt dirty…like something twisted and sick had crawled inside me and had, well…died. I knew that if every case hit me this hard, I wouldn't be able to last very long.**

**I think it was more because it was my first time killing something, because I hadn't gone into shock until after…I'd been okay while I'd done it. In fact, I'd reacted on pure instinct. Like it was in my nature to kill these things, which, if I was _inherently_ good, it probably was my nature.**

**Anyway, after I got out of the shower, I rung my hair out and brushed it and went to bed while my hair was still wet. My hair would probably look like a rat's nest when I woke up, but I didn't care.**

**I felt tears leak out of the sides of my eyes, but I didn't wipe them away. I just turned over and hugged one of the motel pillows to my chest, wishing it had been someone warm and solid, rather than something cold and semi-fluffy.**

**------------- -**

**There was an incessant tapping noise coming from somewhere that was slowly bringing me out of my sleep. It would have been okay if it had been random and not continuous, but it just _wouldn't_ _stop_.**

**I opened my eyes. It was dark, obviously still night. I looked at the clock on the nightstand-two o'clock in the morning. I reached over and turned the lamp on, wincing when the light reached my eyes.**

**The door clicked open and Dean stuck his head in, looking my way. He'd picked the lock. He came in and walked towards the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking like he felt awkward.**

"**I don't wanna talk about my dad," he said simply. "I just, uh…" he trailed off.**

"**Didn't wanna be alone?" I finished for him.**

"**Yeah," he answered. "Sam's asleep. And you said I could come whenever."**

"**Oh." I looked down at the bedspread and bit the inside of my lip, not knowing what to say…because, well, this Dean might react differently to anything I did than the old Dean, the Dean I'd fallen in love with, would have. I wanted him to lead here.**

**We both started fidgeting, neither of us knowing quite what to do.**

"**You know what, this is stupid," Dean said suddenly. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry I woke you up."**

**He moved to get up and I moved so fast it surprised even me. I grabbed his wrist gently, but firmly. "Don't go," I said softly. "Not yet…please?" He looked from my hand on his wrist up to my face, but he didn't move. "We don't have to talk about your dad. We could talk about something else."**

"**Like what?"**

**I shrugged. "Anything. Just don't go," I said, sounding desperate. Oh, who was I kidding? I _was_ desperate. Completely.**

"**Okay…um." He seemed to be searching his mind for a subject he didn't mind discussing. "Are you okay?"**

**I immediately knew what he was talking about; me killing the Rakshasa. Honestly, I hadn't thought about it since he'd stepped in the room. And I hadn't been having dreams about it or anything. But now, flashes of it were happening in my mind. I saw myself stabbing the thing. It was weird because it was like I'd been outside of my body, watching from a distance.**

"**Not really," I answered honestly. I let go of his wrist when I was sure he was gonna stay and not disappear. "I had to kill something and I know it was evil and it would have killed us if I hadn't…but I didn't like it. That's an innocence I can never get back, ya know?" I looked at him and realized, yes, he did know what I was talking about.**

**Dean seemed to know how hard it was for me to talk about it, so he changed the subject. "Before…in your old life, what did you like doing?"**

**I smiled slightly. "Um…out of everything we could talk about, you wanna talk about me?" How odd.**

"**Well, I kinda realized I don't know much about you." He looked down almost shyly. I laughed inwardly…Dean was being shy. Even odder. "I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." He looked up at me again; his eyes were cautious, almost like he thought I might reject him. Not very likely…ever.**

"**No, it's okay," I reassured him, and he smiled a bit. It wasn't a big smile, but it was genuine. _My_ Dean was shining through.**

**I thought about my old life for a minute before speaking. It was a distant memory; the only person I kept in touch with was Layla. She was the only one I couldn't stand losing as a friend. "Um…you can tell me if I bore you." His smile grew slightly wider. "Anyway…I was sort of a homebody, actually. I mean, I didn't go on dates…I didn't really go to parties. I went to movies-or someplace like that-with my friends sometimes, but mostly I just stayed home."**

"**Why?"**

"**I was…I don't know…I used to spend a lot of time alone, aside from the few friends I had. It was easier to think that way, I guess." He seemed genuinely curious about what had gone on in my life pre-demon-hunting, so I continued. "And it may have escaped your keen notice, but my mind is always thinking. Um…anyway, I didn't go to parties because I just wasn't into that whole scene-the drinking and stuff. Plus, being around a bunch of people at once kinda makes me nervous."**

"**And the dating thing?" he asked.**

**I shrugged. "There was no one in my school that I was interested in," I said simply.**

"**No one?"**

"**Not at my school," I hinted, looking in his eyes.**

**He swallowed, and I had to force myself to not look at his throat. My eyes stayed on his.**

**Anyway, he started asking random question-whatever popped into his mind-and I knew that part of the reason he was doing that was to take his mind off of what had happened, but I let him. When my mom had died, I hadn't wanted to think about it, either. I'd focused mostly on the demon so I wouldn't have to focus on the main thing. Eventually he'd deal…I hoped.**

**By the time we'd finished talking, he knew my favorite color, which was blue. Actually, he pretty much knew my favorite _everything_, if he could remember it.**

**He got up from the bed and headed for the door and I looked at the clock. It was 5:30; we'd been talking for three and a half hours.**

**I got up and followed him to the door. He opened it and turned back around to face me. He looked torn, like he didn't know whether he wanted to stay or leave.**

**He brought his arm up and caressed my cheek, temple to chin, with the back of his hand. My breath caught in my throat and I shivered. Who knew your face could be so sensitive. I knew he felt it because he did it again. Oh, it was like liquid fire where his hand touched.**

**His fingers rested on my chin for a few seconds before tilting my face upwards. I looked in his eyes-you could just get lost in them-and I realized they seemed careful, almost repentant. He was apologizing for getting on Sam's and my case lately.**

**I smiled slightly, letting him know that I got it, that it was okay. _We_ were okay.**

**His thumb brushed lightly over my bottom lip and I felt my stomach flutter and my heart started beating faster.**

"**Thank you," he said before dropping his hand back to his side. Then he turned and left the room, left me there at the door, breathing heavily. The memory of his finger playing gently on my lip made me shiver. Again. Oh, I needed sleep.**

**Or maybe a cold shower.**

**------------- -**

**A few hours later I was being woken up again, but this time it wasn't to talk. It was because we had to go back to the van.**

**We were going back to the Roadhouse because we needed to see what Ash had found out, if he'd found out anything.**

**When we got there, Ash was nowhere to be seen. There were a few men sitting at a table, cleaning guns, who looked at me as we walked in. I subconsciously moved closer to Dean. Honestly, I didn't have to tell myself to; it was a natural reaction.**

**Sam, Dean, and I sat at the bar and Ellen, who'd been behind it, brought Sam and Dean each a beer, asking if I wanted anything. I said no.**

"**She can't drink," Jo said, plopping down on the other side of Dean. "Remember?" Her tone was slightly mocking…I think. I might have been imagining it.**

"**I could drink if I wanted to," I answered. "But I choose not to."**

"**Hm."**

"**Jo, honey, go tell Ash that these three are back," Ellen said and Jo reluctantly agreed.**

**A few minutes later, Jo came out of a back room, followed by Ash, who was holding a laptop. Its insides were on the outside. Now, I was no computer expert, but I was pretty sure-almost a hundred percent-that you weren't supposed to see the inside of it.**

"**Where you guys been? I been waitin' for you."**

"**We were workin' a job, Ash," Sam answered. "Clowns."**

"**Clowns? What the-"**

"**You got somethin' for us, Ash?" Dean asked, and Ash put the laptop down gently on the bar.**

"**Did you find the demon?" Sam asked.**

"**It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if the fugly bastard raises its head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like divine on dog dookie."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**I mean any of these signs or omens appear anywhere in the world, my rig will go off like a fire alarm." He turned the computer towards us…there were bunch of programs going at once.**

**Okay, I had to admit, I was impressed. "Where'd you learn to do all this?"**

"**M.I.T. before I got bounced…for fighting."**

"**Oh," I said. "Nice."**

"**Okay," Dean said. "Give us a call as soon as you know somethin'?"**

"**Si, si, compadre."**

**I grinned and Dean laughed. He took one last swig of beer before standing up and heading towards the door. Sam and I followed.**

**------------- -**

**Back at Bobby's, Dean began working on the car again. Oh no, not that routine again.**

**I went up to my room, planning on taking a nap since I'd only gotten a few hours sleep the night before. It wasn't even five minutes after I'd laid down that I heard a repetitive banging sound.**

**I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was coming from outside. I got up and went to my window, pulling the curtain back.**

**What I saw shocked me to the core. Dean was out in the yard, beating the car he'd worked his butt off on with what looked like a tire iron. He'd finally broken.**

**Without a second's hesitation I rushed out of my room and flew down the stairs. I saw Sam at the backdoor; he was watching Dean sadly. I went to go by him, but he grabbed my arm.**

"**Maybe you shouldn't…" The noise stopped. Dean had stopped.**

"**He won't hurt me," I said confidently. I was pretty sure, anyway.**

**Sam nodded and reluctantly let go of my arm. "Don't push him though, okay?"**

**That was rich coming from him, but I nodded anyway. "Mm-hm." I walked out the door and looked in Dean's direction. He was staring straight at me, but I don't actually think he was _looking_ at me. He seemed like he was in a daze, in shock. He probably was. Maybe the emotions had finally caught up to him.**

**I slowly made my way to him, not wanting to scare him out of his stupor, because then he might actually hurt me without meaning to. "Dean?" I said softly, closing the distance between us.**

**His eyes focused on me and his jaw clenched. He wasn't angry; he was trying to keep from crying. It wasn't working very well.**

**Before I knew it, he'd brought his hands up, gripping my arms tightly, like he thought maybe I was gonna go away. Not a chance.**

**His breaths started coming in gasps and, for the life of me, I didn't know what to do. He was in pain, I could practically feel it coming off him in waves.**

**Suddenly, I was being pulled to the ground because he'd collapsed, bringing me with him. I saw the tears in his eyes before they fell and I just wanted to wipe them away, but I couldn't because my hands were caught between our bodies and he was still gripping my arms tightly. He was gonna leave bruises; I wondered if they would heal instantly. If they didn't, I wouldn't show him. He'd blame himself.**

**Dean was now shaking, not letting out the sobs that needed to be released. He let go of my arms and for a minute I thought he was gonna push me away, but he didn't.**

**He wrapped his arms around me securely, breathing shakily, putting his head in the crook of my neck. I felt the wetness of his tears hit my skin.**

"**It's my fault," Dean whispered.**

**I didn't understand. "What are you talking about?"**

"**He's dead," he tried to explain. "And it's my fault.**

**I maneuvered myself so that I could wrap my arms around him; it was easier to move them now that he wasn't holding them.**

"**Why would you think that?"**

**He let a sob escape. "Things like that don't j-just happen. People that are dying don't just wake up for no reason.**

**Neither of us said anything for a while. He sat there, holding onto me, while I rubbed soothing circles on his back.**

"**I miss him," Dean said, sounding like he thought it was some kind of weakness to admit that. "And I want him back."**

**I didn't say anything because, really, what can you say to something like that? So I did the only thing I could think of. I turned my head slightly towards his and kissed him lightly on the temple.**


	3. Bloodlust Part One

**Hey, this chapter starts right where the last one left off at.**

**Bloodlust  
Part one**

**By the time that Dean had settled down enough to stand up, I had started crying as well. It would've seemed stupid before I'd met Dean, but I was hurting because he was hurting. It made my heart ache because of the pain he was in. I just wanted to take it all away. But I knew there was only so much I could do. He had to deal with this on his own, in his own way. I'd still be here if he needed me, though.**

**And, apparently, he did, because when he'd stood up he'd brought me with him. I looked up at him; tears were still falling from his eyes, but he wasn't sobbing anymore.**

"**We should get you inside, okay?" I asked. He nodded, so I wrapped an arm around his waist and gently tugged to make him start moving.**

**When we got in the house I didn't see Sam anywhere. I led him to the staircase. Going up was going to be difficult because it was kinda narrow. But, finally, we made it to his room where I opened the door and led him in.**

**There was a bed pushed to the far corner of the room, so I brought him to it and sat him on the far end. I looked at his tearstained face and red-rimmed eyes. He needed a cool washcloth to pat his face down with.**

"**I'll be right back," I said, turning to walk out the room. But he stopped me by grabbing my wrist…like I'd done to him the night before.**

"**Where're you going?"**

"**I was gonna get you a wet washcloth…for your face. It might make you feel a little better."**

"**But you're coming back?" He thought I might leave him.**

**I leaned down so I'd be eye-level with him. "I'm not leaving you, Dean." I reached my hand up and cupped his cheek. He didn't shiver like I had, but he did lean into my touch. "I'm going to get something, but I will be right back. I _promise_. And then I won't leave unless you ask me to."**

**He brought his hand up to mine and pulled it gently from his face, squeezing it lightly before letting it go. "Hurry back," he whispered.**

"**Will do," I said. I walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me. I didn't want Bobby or Sam to walk by and accidentally see him like that. Dean would never forgive me.**

**I made my way to the bathroom and picked up a washrag on the way. I wet it in the sink and rung it out before making my way back to the bedroom.**

**I was surprised that Sam hadn't tried talking to me yet. Maybe he didn't know we were inside; or maybe he did know, but he didn't want to interrupt us. Whichever it was, I was glad. Glad because Dean needed me and he was _letting_ himself need me. I didn't know how long that would last.**

**When I stepped in the room I saw that Dean hadn't moved from the spot where I'd left him. "See, I told you I'd be back." I went to stand in front of him and I gently started to rub his face with the washrag. He was letting me take care of him.**

**After I was done, I placed the rag on the dresser that was in the room and then I sat beside him.**

"**I'm tired," he said simply. Breaking down will wear you out.**

"**Oh." I stood back up. "Is that my cure to leave or-"**

"**No," he interrupted. "Stay."**

**I nodded. "Um…did you wanna change? You're clothes are kinda dirty."**

**He looked down at himself; he probably hadn't noticed the dirt on his clothes. That was understandable.**

"**Too tired," he said.**

"**Okay."**

**He moved upwards on the bed and laid down on his back. I went forward and sat down again. I decided to lay down so I could watch him. I flipped over onto my side and propped my head up on my elbow. He turned his head to look at me. He turned over on his side, too, facing me.**

**Neither of us said anything; we just kept staring at each other, in each others' eyes. Eventually, he brought his hand up to meet mine and he began playing with my fingers. He found it slightly amusing when he found out my palm was ticklish. He'd run his finger over it and I'd clenched my fist around his finger and laughed a little.**

**When I'd let go, he just wrapped his hand around mine and settled down on his pillow, closing his eyes. After a few minutes, I relaxed, myself, and moved a little closer to him-our bodies weren't touching, though, apart from our hands-and I closed my eyes.**

**------------- -**

**When I woke up I felt something warm pressing against my back. Dean. I must have turned over in my sleep. The second thing I noticed was that an arm was placed over my mid-section…and, somehow, our hands were still connected.**

**I brought my hand that wasn't holding his up and started to run it up and down the part of his arm that I could reach.**

"**I was wonderin' when you were gonna wake up," he said, making me stop what I was doing for a second, but then I started again.**

"**How long have you been awake?" I asked.**

"**About an hour," he answered. His voice was kinda hoarse, probably from crying. I wanted to turn around to face him, but that would have involved letting his arm go and there was no way I was doing that. Yet, anyway. Plus, it was dark, so I wouldn't be able to see him anyway.**

"**You stayed," I commented and then realized that was stupid because _I_ was in _his_ room and not the other way around.**

"**Well, I'm kinda wrapped up in you, here. I didn't wanna wake you up."**

**Wrapped up in me? I wondered if he meant that figuratively as well as physically.**

"**Dean?" I said hesitantly.**

"**Hm?"**

"**Um…I realize how cliché this question is going to sound…but, um…what are we?"**

**I heard him take a breath and let it out. "I don't know." He started fidgeting behind me. "All I know is I like you and…when I'm with you…things seem a little easier." He paused. "I don't know where that leaves us…because I'm not good with the whole relationship thing. I mean, I've had a relationship before, but…it's still new to me."**

**I smiled a little. "Um, I've never had a relationship…ever. So it's new to me, too." I bit my lip before continuing. "But I'd be willing to try…if you want to."**

**I felt his heart beating, it was speeding up, almost like he was nervous. "I do want to."**

"**Okay." My heart felt like it could burst with joy. "We've just gotta go slow," I said. "I mean, I realize how stupid that sounds since we're already sleeping in the same bed, but you get what I mean. The physical stuff." I tensed at that thought. He had a lot of experience in that department; I didn't have any. "Well, I mean, I've never done anything even remotely sexual…at all…so…" I trailed off. I could feel myself blushing, from embarrassment or something else, I didn't know.**

**I felt Dean laughing. I didn't know what was so funny. "I think I can wait," he said sincerely. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it would be fairly uncomfortable for you to go from never having been kissed to having sex in a few days time. So, don't worry. I get it."**

**He sounded like he meant it, so I relaxed. I mean, it wasn't like I thought he'd force me or anything like that. I just knew he was used to being physical with girls and I wasn't ready for that and I probably wouldn't be for a while.**

**No matter how my hormones reacted when I was with him.**

**------------- -**

**We'd stayed in the room until daylight, just talking about random things. Sometimes Dean would get quiet and he would say something about his dad. I tried to be as supportive as I could, but the fact was that Dean thought John had traded his own life for Dean's. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I didn't know how he'd done it, but I knew it was eating Dean up inside.**

**We'd decided to not tell Sam about us since we didn't exactly know whether it would work or not, but I thought Sam would figure it out anyway. He was pretty smart…most of the time. I mean, he had his dense moments, just like anyone else.**

**Anyway, after we'd gotten up for good, Dean said he needed to go work on the car. He refused to use the van again if we found another case we needed to work.**

**He didn't change his clothes because he was just gonna get them dirty again. So we got up and went downstairs together. He went outside; I stayed inside. I wasn't gonna crowd him. That would probably send Dean running in the opposite direction.**

**I sat down at the kitchen table and smiled to myself. I was happy. I didn't know how long I would _be_ happy, but I was at that point in time.**

**Two chairs scooted out from the table and it caught my attention. Sam and Bobby were now seated at the table with me.**

"**Hey," I said.**

"**Hey," Sam said back. "So, is he okay?"**

**I shook my head. "No, but…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.**

"**Is he going to _be_ okay?" Bobby asked.**

"**I don't know," I said softly. Sadly. "I hope so. But he's got a long way to go."**

**They both took that in, neither of them saying anything. Thing's were pretty much silent for a while, until Bobby started speaking. "Hey, uh, don't get mad at Sam, but he filled me in on your whole deal. I asked him to."**

**I looked at Bobby and smiled. "I'm not mad." I would have told him myself eventually, only my attention had been needed elsewhere lately. "You're letting me stay here. You deserve to know." I paused. "Thanks for letting us stay here, by the way."**

"**It's no problem," he said sincerely, getting back up from the table. That must have been all he'd wanted; to let me know he knew about me.**

**Sam was still there, looking at me curiously. "What?"**

**He shook his head, his face going neutral. "Nothin'."**

"**Sam…what?"**

"**Really, it's nothing. It's none of my business."**

**I sighed impatiently. "What's none of your business?"**

"**You stayed with him all night," he stated. He wasn't implying anything.**

"**So?"**

"**So, did he say anything to you? About anything?"**

**I shook my head. "No." I hated lying. I wasn't good at it, so I figured I'd go with half-truths. "He was pretty tired when we got in the room. All he wanted to do was sleep."**

"**And you stayed? While he was asleep?"**

"**Yes," I said. "He wanted me to stay…so I did."**

"**Hm…" he trailed of thoughtfully.**

"**Hm? What does _hm_ mean?"**

"**Nothing."**

"**Sam…" This was like pulling teeth. "It's not nothing. If it was nothing, you wouldn't have said anything in the first place."**

"**Well, Dean's doing the exact opposite of what I thought he would." He looked at me. "Remember that conversation we had about him pushing you away."**

"**Oh," I said quietly. "Right. Well…maybe Dean needs someone to take care of him. Even if he won't admit it out loud." _Or maybe he was just a little needy last night and he'll change his mind later_, I added silently. I told my mind to shut up.**

**------------- -**

**Three nights later, Dean and I had pretty much made a routine of our sleeping pattern.**

**Either I'd go to his room or he'd come to mine and we'd lay down, get comfortable, and talk until we got tired. We'd always end up in each others arms even if we didn't start out that way.**

**Dean was always there when I woke up. We'd slept in the same bed for three nights straight and I hadn't woken up alone yet. Not once. Maybe Dean wasn't gonna change his mind. I prayed he wouldn't, anyway.**

**We hadn't kissed yet, not really. I mean, he would kiss the top of my head or my forehead, but he hadn't gotten anywhere near my lips, which I was fine with, actually.**

**Honestly, I was more nervous about him kissing me than I was about sleeping beside him every night. It was probably because sleeping didn't involve an actual skill, whereas kissing…well, did. What if I was bad at it? What if I was this huge disappointment?**

**Anyway, Dean was with me again, and we were in my room this time. He was playing with my hands again; I didn't know why he found my hands so fascinating, but if he wasn't playing with them, he was holding them. Not that I minded.**

**I found it odd, though, that if he touched my palm, it tickled, but if he rubbed the back of my hand, it soothed me. As did rubbing the inside of my forearm.**

**It was funny; if I hadn't met Dean I probably wouldn't have found that out about myself. I couldn't think of another person I would feel comfortable enough to let them touch me like that. It wasn't even _that_ intimate a touch, it's just I'd never been a touchy-feely type person. Until now.**

**Actually, I'd always thought my friends had been silly when they'd gone all romantic-I'd been accused of not having a romantic bone in my body-but I got it now. Wanting to be with one person and one person only. I guess this showed me, huh?**

"**If I tell you something, do you promise to not freak out?" Dean asked, interrupting my thoughts.**

"**I promise to _try_ to not freak out," I said. Best I could do.**

"**Sometimes I feel like…like I should've stayed dead." He was whispering. I stopped breathing. "It's like a part of me is missing." I resumed my breathing. "I think it has to do with _how_ I was brought back."**

**He was talking about John giving up his life for him. I took a deep breath. "Dean…um…" This was harder to say than I thought it would've been. "I'm sorry for how it all happened. And I'm sorry that John had to die. But I'm not sorry you're alive," I finished firmly.**

**I would never be sorry for that. It may have been selfish, but I was happy he was with me.**

**Even if he did have more issues than the Rolling Stones magazine.**

**------------- -**

**The Impala was finally done, which was a good thing since we were riding around in it. Dean had done an excellent job; the car looked better now than it had even before the accident. It was all nice and shiny.**

**Sam had found out about a few people who had gotten their heads cut off, which didn't sound supernatural itself, but there were cattle mutilations happening along with it. Sam was thinking a Satanic cult, maybe.**

**Dean seemed pretty happy to have a case, but I thought that was more because if he was thinking about the job, then he wasn't thinking about his dad, than anything else.**

**We were headed to Red Lodge, Montana, which was only seven hours away from Bobby's and we'd been in the car for almost two.**

**Dean had been making nice little comments about the car along the way that made me smile, laugh, or roll my eyes. Sometimes all three.**

"**Woo! Listen to her purr. You ever heard anything so sweet?"**

**I was in the backseat, as usual, but I didn't care anymore. Dean was smiling, genuinely, for the first time in a long time and that was all that mattered to me.**

"**Ya know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know, Dean," Sam said.**

"**Oh, don't listen to him, baby," Dean said, petting the dashboard. "He doesn't understand us."**

"**You're in a good mood." Sam sounded surprised.**

"**Why shouldn't I be?" Dean turned to look at Sam and then turned back to the road.**

"**No reason."**

"**I got my car, got a case. Things are lookin' up."**

"**Wow." Sam chuckled. "Give you a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead cows and you're Mr. Sunshine."**

**Dean grinned. "How far to Red Lodge?"**

"**Uh, about another three hundred miles."**

"**Good." The car started going faster; he'd pressed on the accelerator.**

"**So, who are we going to for information this time?" I asked.**

"**Uh, county sheriff, probably," Sam answered.**

"**Huh…and we're gonna be what? I mean, we can't just waltz in there and expect to get answers."**

"**We're gonna be reporters from _Weekly World News_."**

"**Am I job shadowing again?"**

"**Yup," Dean said, pressing even harder on the gas.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Red Lodge, the first thing we did was find a motel and rent out a room. Dean had actually asked me if I wanted an extra room for myself and I'd been tempted, but I'd told him it was up to him; so, only one room.**

**When we'd got in the room, we'd changed. I had to wear a dress shirt and a business skirt with heels. Not my favorite type of clothes or shoes, but…whatever got the job done, right?**

**I'd been in the bathroom, changing; the guys were in the actual room. I opened the bathroom door a little. "You guys decent?" I called out.**

"**Yeah," Dean answered. "You can come on out."**

**So I did. Dean was finishing buttoning up his shirt, but other than that, they were fully dressed.**

"**Wow," Sam said. "You look nice and professional."**

"**Mm-hm," I said. "Let's just get this over with so I can change back into my other clothes."**

**When we got to the sheriff's office and he invited us to sit down, I was surprised. He'd actually believed I was an aspiring reporter and that Sam and Dean were _already_ reporters.**

**Sam and Dean started talking about the murders and all the sheriff said was that the murder investigation was ongoing. That was all he was allowed to share with us.**

"**We understand that," Sam reassured him, "but just for the record, you found the first head last week, correct?"**

"**Mm-hm." The sheriff nodded.**

"**Okay, and the other, a Christina Flannigan?"**

"**That was two days ago."**

"**Sheriff?" a female voice came from behind us. I looked her direction. She was young, probably a receptionist or something. She pointed at her watch. Apparently, it was time for us to go.**

"**Oh, thank you," the sheriff said. He turned back to us. "Sorry, time's up. We're done here."**

"**One last question," Sam said quickly.**

"**Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asked.**

"**Excuse me?" The sheriff seemed confused. He leaned forward, over his desk.**

"**Ya know, the cows found dead, split open, drained…over a dozen cases."**

"**What about them?"**

"**So, you don't think there's a connection?"**

"**Connection with…?"**

"**Well, first cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff."**

"**What?"**

"**You know, like Satanic cult ritual stuff," I put it.**

**The sheriff stared at me for a second before laughing, hard. He thought we were nuts. "You-" None of us said anything, so he stopped laughing. "You're not kidding."**

"**No," Dean said simply.**

"**Those cows aren't being mutilated," the sheriff answered. "You wanna know how I know?"**

"**How?" Sam asked.**

"**Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty-eight hours the bloat will split it open so clean, it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground, get soaked up, because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan." The sheriff paused. "What newspaper did you say you worked for?"**

"**World Weekly News," Dean said.**

"**_Weekly World News_," Sam corrected.**

"**I'm new," Dean explained.**

**The sheriff looked down at his desk. "Get out of my office."**

**So we did.**

**------------- -**

**When we got back in the car I kicked my shoes off. "Well, that was a wasted trip," I said.**

"**Yeah, pretty much," Dean agreed. He looked over at Sam, who was in the passenger seat. "What do you wanna do now?"**

"**Well, there's a few more hours of daylight left, so why don't we go check on the bodies? See if there are any marks or somethin' like that."**

"**You mean, like, symbols?" I asked.**

"**Yeah," Sam answered.**

"**Hey, those Satanists in Florida-they marked their victims, didn't they?" Dean asked Sam. I didn't know what he was talking about. I assumed it was some case they'd worked before they met me.**

"**Yeah, reverse pentacle on the forehead."**

"**So much F'ed up crap happens in Florida."**

"**Hey, how are we gonna pull this one off? I'm not old enough to be a doctor or a nurse. And I look younger than I actually am."**

"**Well, we can be the doctors and you can be an intern…or something. I mean, you have to have hospital credits before you get a degree to be a doctor, right?" Dean said.**

"**I don't know," I said. "I never really thought about being a doctor." I paused, considering. "I never thought much about college at all, actually."**

"**Hm." Dean looked back at me. "You _do_ look younger by about three years… Maybe if you put your hair up, it'll make you look older."**

**I sighed. "Okay, then we have to stop somewhere so I can buy a clip or something."**

**So we stopped at a local Walmart; I was actually surprised this place had one. We were in some backwoods town, but I guess they had Walmart's everywhere.**

**Anyway, Dean parked the car and we got out to go in the store. We made our way to the hair care products. The shampoo was on one side, the clips and bows were on the other.**

**Dean seemed completely lost; he'd probably never been down the hair care aisle in his life. That was both funny and sad at the same time. It was like Dean's life lacked all things normal. Even his girlfriend, me, was weird.**

**I looked at the big clips, the little ones, and the medium sized ones. My hair was pretty thick, so I got the big ones. I got a brown one and a clear one. Then I thought about it and got a few little one, too. Sometimes I liked putting my bangs back, clipping them to the back of my head. I guess that might make me look older. Or it might make me look like a school girl; we'd see.**

**I looked down at myself. My shirt was okay. My skirt was okay, but I wanted some dress pants and shoes that weren't heels.**

"**Pants now?" I asked.**

**Dean sighed, like he really didn't want to wait around for a girl to get done shopping.**

"**Please?" I wasn't above begging. "It's just, skirts make me uncomfortable and high-heels hurt my feet." I was getting to him. "And anyway, if something pops out at us, how am I supposed to run in heels?"**

**Dean rolled his eyes, giving in. "Okay, just don't take forever?"**

"**Hey, I'm not a shopoholic," I said. "I never go to the store if I can help it. But we're already here, so we might as well get everything we need while we're here." I shrugged. "It makes sense from a time management viewpoint."**

"**Yeah, yeah."**

**Dean, Sam, and I started walking to the clothes section. Dean placed his hand on my back, letting me know he wasn't really irritated. I looked up at him, smiling openly, and saw he was grinning.**

**We found a few pairs of slacks and Sam held up a tan pair. I wrinkled my nose at them.**

"**Ew. Black or dark blue, please." I was wearing a white button up shirt, so I needed something that would match.**

**Dean wasn't helping, he was just standing there watching me go through the pants. I found a pair that looked like they'd be a little long on me, but it was my size, so length didn't matter to me. It was usually hard finding pants for me anyway, because I was short but my hips were kinda huge. So when they fit me in length, they didn't wanna go over my hips and vice versa.**

"**Okay. Shoes now," I said, beginning to walk towards the shoe department.**

**I ended up trying on two pairs. The first pair were heels, but they were only, like, one-inch heels; _they_ weren't that bad. The second pair, the ones I settled on, were flats. They were black and flexible and very comfortable.**

"**I want these," I said. I looked at Sam and Dean. "Do you guys need anything?"**

**They shook their heads. I shrugged, putting the shoes back in the box, and putting my dreaded heels back on my sore feet.**

"**Do you need help carrying that stuff?" Dean asked.**

"**Um…" I folded the pants over my arm, situated the box of shoes so they wouldn't fall and placed the clips on top of the box. "No, I'm good." I did a mental inventory of everything I needed and then everything I had already, making sure I hadn't missed anything. I had. Of course. "A belt. I need a belt," I said. "Where would they be?" I looked at Dean, who was no help. So I looked at Sam.**

**He shrugged. "Um…accessories?" he suggested.**

**So we searched for the accessories section. The belts were there, thankfully. I skipped over the normal belts and went straight for the chain type ones. They were the kind I liked.**

**I picked one that had small hoops on it; it would look good with almost everything I owned, including this outfit I was putting together now. Classy, but edgy. I could deal with that.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the Candler Country Hospital, Sam and Dean snatched three lab coats from somewhere, giving one to me. We put them on and began walking around, like we knew where we were going, which we didn't. I mean, we knew we were going to the autopsy room, we just didn't know how to get there.**

**My hair was up in one of the bigger clips, and I could feel my hair swinging as I walked. My white shirt was tucked into my slacks and my chain belt hung snugly around my waist. Usually I would wrap it around loosely, but that didn't look right with slacks. Oh, well…I'd use it with my jeans soon enough.**

**We finally found the room we were looking for-the autopsy room-and we went in.**

**There was a man there behind the desk. His nametag read J. Manners.**

"**John," Dean started.**

"**Jeff," the man corrected, standing.**

"**Jeff. I know that. Dr. Dorkin needs to see you in his office right away."**

"**But Dr. Dorkin's on vacation," Jeff said, confused.**

"**Well, he's back. And he's pissed and he's screamin' for you, man, so if I were you, I would-"**

"**Okay," Jeff interrupted, walking towards the door.**

"**Okay," Dean agreed..**

**Sam closed and locked the door after Jeff went out of it. It still amazed me how quick Dean could come up with stories on the spot like that; Sam too, for that matter.**

**Dean went to a little box on the desk Jeff had gotten up from. He then handed me and Sam a pair of latex gloves, putting some on, himself.**

**We went to one of the compartments, sliding out the table inside. The body that was on it was the girl-Christina Flannigan, I think that's what Sam had said her name was. There was a plastic bin between her legs; her head was probably in there.**

"**Where'd they say they found this girl?" I asked.**

"**In the woods," Dean said. He looked at Sam. "All right. Open it."**

"**You open it."**

**Dean scoffed. "Wuss." He picked the bin up and took it over to the autopsy table. He opened it, revealing the girl's _very severed_ head.**

"**Ew," I said, stepping closer to Dean. The head was a bluish sort of gray color.**

"**Well, no pentagram," Dean said.**

"**Wow," Sam said, looking slightly disturbed. "Poor girl."**

"**Maybe we should look in her mouth, see if this wacko stuffed anything down her throat," Dean suggested. "Ya know, kinda like the moth in _Silence of the Lambs_." He hit Sam in the shoulder.**

"**Yeah, go ahead."**

"**No," Dean said, turning the bin toward Sam. "You go ahead."**

"**What?"**

**Dean smirked. "_Put the lotion in the basket_."**

"**Right, yeah, and I'm the wuss, huh?" Sam asked.**

"**Guys?" I interrupted. "We're kinda on the clock here." Neither of them said anything. "Oh, whatever." I looked at Dean. "Move over." He did, so I took his spot, grabbing the bin from in front of Sam. I took a deep breath, opened the girl's mouth and stuck a finger in, feeling around. It was fairly disturbing. It was dry and rough and cold; I could tell that even with the glove on.**

"**Oh, God," Sam said. "I'm gonna puke."**

**I looked at Sam. "Don't you do that. If you puke, I'm gonna puke."**

**He looked at me strange. "You have your finger in a dead girl's mouth."**

**I shrugged, accidentally hitting her lip.**

"**Hey, lift her lip up," Dean said, stepping closer to me.**

"**What?"**

"**I think I saw something," he explained. I lifted her lip up a little, then fully lifted it up when I noticed her gums. There were ridges on them.**

"**What is that?" I asked, running my finger over it and gently pushing. Something white and sharp came out of her gums. The ridges had been holes and a tooth was coming out of it. That made me yank my hand back.**

"**Dean, that's a fang," I said.**

**Sam scooted closer and Dean scoffed. "It's a retractable set of vampire fangs. You gotta be kiddin' me."**

"**Well, this changes things," Sam said.**

**Dean and I looked at him. "Ya think?" we said in unison, same tone and everything. Maybe we'd been hanging around each other too much. I thought about it…nah. It just showed that we were on the same wavelength.**

**------------- -**

**We were back at the motel now and I was changing into my everyday clothes. Finally. I had a semi-tight Harley Davidson shirt on with jeans, my belt hanging loosely over my hips. It was pretty chilly outside, so I was gonna put a jacket on once we figured out where we were going. I'd left my hair in the clip.**

**I came out of the bathroom, holding the dress clothes, bundling them up in my arms. I saw Dean putting on a red button up shirt over a black shirt. He left the red shirt open. He had his blue jeans on again. Much better than the suit and tie he'd had on earlier.**

**Sam wasn't in the room, I noticed. So I asked where he'd gone.**

"**To get food," Dean said, looking up at me. I put my clothes in my bag. At the bottom. I hoped I'd never have to use them again.**

**He came to stand in front of me and he brought his hand up behind my head. I felt the clip move around a few times and then my hair was down around my shoulders and flowing down my back.**

"**I think I like it better when it's down," he said.**

**I smiled a little as he began running his fingers through my hair, careful not to pull if he hit a tangle. I stepped closer and brought my arms up to wrap them around him, pressing my face against his chest.**

**Usually, this part was done after you kissed, but, apparently, neither of us were ready for that because neither one of us had tried to initiate a kiss.**

**I felt one of his hands on my lower back, resting there, while the other continued playing with my hair.**

**I hoped Sam wouldn't come back for at least another thirty minutes, because I didn't feel like moving for a while, even though we were standing up.**

* * *

  
Hey, another chapter. A lot shorter than the last one, but anyway. Kinda nervous about this one, because it was pivitol for their relationship. And I didn't want to go over the top, but I think I got Dean's right or almost right anyway.  
Yeah...review please. Let me know what you think.


	4. Bloodlust Part Two

**Bloodlust  
Part Two**

**We ended up going to some bar; or, well, Sam and Dean had. I'd stayed in the car because I was getting a headache, it was cold and raining, and the guys had said they wouldn't be in there long.**

**It hadn't been a lie; they'd only been gone for about five minutes and I could see them heading back now. They had someone with them; a black guy. He was a little shorter than Dean, but he was stockier, though.**

**When they got to the car, Dean opened the back door and stuck his head in. "Hey," he said. "This guy says he's a hunter. He said his car's not too far away, so we were gonna follow him, make sure he's tellin' the truth." He looked at me. "Did you wanna come?"**

"**Um…sure." I had a jacket on, but I was still gonna freeze; my jacket was kinda thin. "What's his name?"**

"**Gordon Walker. He knows who we are."**

"**Hm." I got out of the car, zipping my jacket when I stood up. Sam and Gordon were standing a few feet away, waiting for me and Dean. Gordon started walking and we followed.**

"**So, Sam and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it. Ya know, I met your old man once. Hell of a guy, great hunter." He paused. "I heard he passed. I'm sorry." He sounded sincere. "It's big shoes, but, from what I hear, you guys fill 'em-great trackers, good in a tight spot."**

**We reached an old red car. I didn't know what type it was. Gordon opened the door and pulled out an arsenal that was between the seats. There were a few guns, a few knives, and something that looked like a scythe.**

"**You seem to know a lot about our family," Dean said suspiciously.**

"**Well, word travels fast. You know how hunters talk."**

"**No, we don't, actually," Dean replied, looking at Sam.**

"**I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"**

**I looked up at Dean. That comment seemed to confuse him.**

"**So, uh," Sam began, "so, those two vampires…they were yours, right?"**

"**Yup," Gordon answered. "Been here two weeks."**

"**Did you check out that Barker farm?" Dean asked. Hm. That must have been something they'd learned in the bar.**

"**It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."**

"**Where's the nest then?" I asked. "I mean, they usually hole up together somewhere, and only two have been killed. There's gotta be more."**

**Gordon smiled, sliding the arsenal back in the car. "I think I've got this one covered, Alyson."**

**I froze and Dean tensed up beside me. "I'm sorry, I don't remember telling you my name."**

**He chuckled. "Relax. I told you, hunters talk. I heard that you were travelin' with these guys."**

**I wondered what else he'd heard. "Okay, well, are you sure you don't want us to come along?"**

"**Yeah," Dean said. "We could help."**

"**Thanks, but I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a real pleasure meetin' you three. But I've been on this thing for over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."**

"**Come on, man, I've been itchin' for a hunt."**

"**Sorry," Gordon said. "Buy, hey, I hear there's a chupacabra two states over. Go ahead and knock yourselves out." He got in his car. "It was real good meetin' you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flipside." He drove away.**

**The three of us stood there, a little confused. I had mixed feelings about this Gordon character. He seemed over-confident to me, which would probably lead to him getting himself killed. And Dean had been right. He had known about us and I didn't like it at all.**

"**Does anybody else feel like we should follow him?" Sam asked suddenly.**

"**Oh yeah," Dean said.**

**It started raining harder, so we raced back to the car. By the time we got there, my hair was soaked, falling in ringlets around my shoulders, and I was freezing.**

**I was shivering, I was so cold. If it hadn't been raining, I think I would've been okay because I think it was like forty or something outside, but I was all wet…**

**Dean must have noticed how cold I was because he shrugged his leather jacket off and handed it to me. I gratefully took it. I took my jacket off, replacing it with his. The outside was wet, but the inside was dry and warm.**

**We got into the car and took off in the direction Gordon had gone. There were only so many places he could go in this town, so I was sure we'd find him eventually.**

**------------- -**

**We'd tracked Gordon to an old mill just outside of town. When we'd gotten there he was getting thrown to the ground by a vampire, which I had sensed and seen. The vampire had put Gordon under a chopping machine and was pulling down the lever. Gordon was about to be beheaded.**

**So we'd pulled him out from under it. Dean attacked the vampire and stabbed him with a metal rod, pinning him under the machine. He pulled the lever down.**

**I knew what was gonna happen next, so I closed my eyes. I really didn't want to see Dean beheading someone, even if that someone was a vampire.**

**When I opened my eyes I saw that Dean had blood on his face-I hoped he hadn't gotten any in his mouth. The fact that he'd killed a vampire in cold blood didn't seem to faze him, which it probably hadn't. He'd killed a vampire before.**

**I looked at Sam, who looked concerned, probably for Dean's mental health. I had to admit, he had a point there. Then I looked at Gordon, who looked happy, but stunned.**

"**So, uh…I guess I gotta buy you that drink."**

**So now we were back in the bar that Sam and Dean had found Gordon in. We were seated at a table; I was across from Sam, Dean was across from Gordon.**

**Gordon and Dean were having shots, chasing them with beer. Sam was just having beer. Well, he had a beer, but he wasn't drinking it. I wasn't having anything. My headache was getting so bad I thought I might puke if I ate or drank anything…even if it wasn't alcoholic.**

"**So, another one bites the dust," Gordon said, raising his shot glass. "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."**

"**Thank you," Dean said, draining his shot.**

"**That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."**

**I looked at Sam, who looked upset, concerned, and angry at the same time. I scooted down in my chair a little bit and reached my leg out, kicking his foot lightly. He looked at me. "Are you okay, Sam?"**

**He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." That was a lie.**

"**Well lighten up a little, Sammy," Gordon said.**

"**He's the only one that gets to call me that," Sam said, nodding at Dean.**

"**Okay," Gordon said easily. "No offense meant. We're just celebrating a little, job well done."**

"**Yeah," I said. "Ya know, decapitations aren't our idea of a good time, I guess." I looked at Dean. "Or they used to not be."**

"**Oh, come on," Gordon said looking at me. "It's not like it was human." He looked between me and Sam. "You two have to learn to have a little more fun with your job."**

"**Um…correct me if I'm wrong," I started, "but you were _having fun_ earlier and we had to save you."**

"**Yeah, I messed up," Gordon agreed. "Almost got myself killed." He looked at me again. "Look, I'm not sayin' you shouldn't take your job seriously, but you're a hunter…you should enjoy killin' those things. They aren't human."**

**I shrugged. I doubted I would ever _enjoy_ killing anything whether it was human or not. I mean, killing something evil to save someone was one thing. Enjoying it was another.**

"**Hm, you could learn a thing or two from this guy," Dean said.**

**Sam looked between Dean and Gordon. "Yeah, I bet I could. Look I'm not gonna bring you guys down. I'm just gonna go back to the motel."**

**Dean sighed. "You sure?"**

**Sam stood up. "Yeah." He looked at me. "You gonna come with me?"**

**I shook my head. "No, I'm-I'm good."**

"**Okay." Sam began walking away.**

"**Hey, Sammy," Dean called out, making him turn back around. "Remind me to beat that buzz kill outta you later, all right?" He took the car keys out of his jeans pocket and tossed them to Sam, who caught them and started walking again.**

**Gordon stared after him. "Somethin' I said?"**

"**No," Dean said, "he just gets that way sometimes."**

**Gordon asked Dean and me about how we'd come into hunting and I wanted to tell him it was none of his business, that he didn't know me well enough to ask that, but I didn't. I just told him that a demon had killed my mom and had attacked me, and I left it at that.**

"**How'd you get started?" Dean asked.**

"**First time I saw a vampire, I was barely eighteen," Gordon said. "Home alone with my sister, I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's shotgun, run in, try to get it off her. But it was too late." He had a far away look in his eyes, kinda like he was reliving it as he was talking about it. "So, I shoot the damn thing, which, of course, is about as useful as snappin' it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone…my sister's gone."**

"**And then?" Dean asked.**

"**And then…try explaining that one to your family. So I left home. And then bummed around lookin' for information-how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang. It was my first kill."**

**I hadn't seen that coming. But then again, every hunter had to start somewhere and it usually began with someone you cared about getting hurt or killed.**

"**I'm sorry about your sister," I said sincerely.**

"**Yeah." A waitress put two more shot glasses down on the table before walking away. "She was beautiful. I can still see her, ya know, the way she was." He downed the shot. "But, hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad," he was looking at Dean, "it's gotta be tough."**

"**Yeah. Yeah, ya know, he was just one of those guys." It surprised me that Dean was talking to Gordon about John. It was probably because he had a few beers and a couple shots in him. "He took some terrible beatings and just kept coming. So, you're always saying to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around. Nothin' can kill my dad. And just like that…" he snapped his fingers, "he's gone." He looked at me and then back at Gordon. "I can't talk about this to Sammy. I gotta keep my game face on. But, uh…truth is, I'm not handling it very well. I feel like I have this…" he trailed off.**

"**Hole inside you?" Gordon put in. "And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker?" Dean nodded. "Good. You can use it. It keeps you hungry. Trust me, there's plenty out there needs killin' and this will help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job."**

**I looked at Dean, who seemed like he was taking in every word, memorizing it, like some kind of personal motto or something. It's not a crime to need your job.**

"**But that doesn't sound too healthy to me," I said pointedly to Dean.**

**Gordon chuckled. "Yeah, well, maybe not everyone is as well-adjusted as you are."**

**I was gonna ask him exactly what he meant by that, but my phone vibrated in my pocket, so I pulled it out. I had a test message from Sam telling me to call him as soon as I got it.**

**I stood up, saying, "I'll be right back."**

"**Where're you going?" Dean asked.**

"**Um, to make a phone call. It's kinda noisy in here, so I'm gonna take it outside."**

"**Be careful," he said.**

**I grinned. "I think I can handle it." I walked to the exit of the bar and dialed Sam's number. A blast of cold air hit me in the face, but, thankfully, it wasn't raining anymore. It wasn't too bad, though, because I still had Dean's jacket on. He hadn't asked for it back.**

"**Hello," Sam answered.**

"**Hey, what's up?" I paused. "Are you okay?"**

"**I'm good. Um, I called Ellen to see if she'd ever heard of Gordon."**

"**Okay. And?" He wouldn't have called if everything was okay.**

"**Well, she said he's a great hunter, but that he's dangerous to everyone and everything around him. We shouldn't work with him."**

"**Well, what do you want me to do about it?"**

"**Try and get Dean out of there."**

**Oh, great. "Um, small problem. Dean seems to be eating out of the palm of his hand."**

"**Crap," Sam said. "Okay, well, uh, just try and think of somethin', and I'll see you when ya get here."**

"**Yeah. Bye." I hung up and took a deep breath before going back into the bar. I went to our table and sat down again.**

"**Who were you talkin' to?" Dean asked.**

"**Sam." They had another round of shots in front of them. "You shouldn't drink too much," I said.**

"**Hey, I can hold my liquor," he stated.**

"**Uh-huh, but you won't be able to hunt these things if you're hung-over." I took it a step further. "And we can't track them if we stay here in this bar all night."**

"**Ya know, she's got a point," Gordon said.**

"**Yeah, I know she does. Damn it," he joked.**

**I grinned a little as he stood up, but stopped when he invited Gordon to come to the motel with us. I groaned inwardly. Oh, well. Sam could deal with it now.**

**------------- -**

**Gordon had been sober enough to drive safely; we got to the motel in one piece. The Impala was parked outside, but Sam wasn't in the room. That scared Dean a little.**

"**Probably went for a walk. He seems like the take-a-walk type," Gordon suggested.**

"**Yeah, he is, but…" Dean trailed off.**

"**I'm sure he's fine, Dean," I said. I sat on the bed, cell phone in hand. I was gonna text him to make sure. I mean, he had said he'd see us when we got back. I shrugged out of Dean's jacket; it was kinda toasty in here. But I kept it on my lap because it smelt like him. I mean, he was in the room with me, but still…**

**Dean and Gordon were seated at the table, a map in front of them. "This is the best pattern I can establish," Gordon said, touching the map. "It's sketchy, at best." He paused. "Problem is, there's thirty-five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of 'em already, but nothing yet. They're coverin' their tracks real good."**

**Farms? Cattle mutilations. "Those farms…is that where they found the dead cows?"**

"**Yup," Gordon said.**

"**Anyway, I guess we'll just have to search the other half," Dean said, grinning.**

**A few minutes later, Sam walked in. "Where were you?" I said, pulling the jacket off my lap and getting up off the bed. "I texted you and you never answered.." I realized I sounded like a mother hen, so I shut up.**

"**Can I talk to you guys alone?"**

**I looked at Dean, who looked at Gordon. "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?" Gordon shook his head. Dean and I followed Sam outside.**

"**Maybe we ought to rethink this hunt," Sam said.**

"**What are you talkin' about? Where were you?"**

**Sam hesitated before answering. "In the nest."**

"**You found it?" I asked. "By yourself? You could've gotten hurt."**

"**No, Alyson, they found me."**

"**Well, how'd you get out? How many did you kill?" Dean asked.**

**Sam shrugged. "None."**

"**Well, Sam, they didn't just let you go."**

"**That's exactly what they did."**

"**All right, well, where is it?"**

"**I was blindfolded, I don't know." Sam didn't want Dean doing anything stupid and reckless.**

"**We'll you've gotta know somethin'."**

"**We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, listen, maybe we shouldn't go after them."**

"**Why not?"**

"**I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people."**

"**You're joking," Dean said skeptically. Sam just looked at him. "Then how do they stay alive. Or undead, or whatever the hell they are?"**

"**They said they live off of animal blood."**

**Something clicked in my mind. "The cattle mutilations. Dean, they said the blood was drained."**

"**And you believe these vampires did it?"**

"**Look at me, Dean," Sam said. "They let me go without a scratch."**

"**Wait, so you're sayin'…" He seemed to be having a problem wrapping his head around the concept of good vampires. "No. No way. I don't know why they let you go, I don't really care. We find em' and we waste 'em."**

"**Why?" I said.**

"**What part of _vampires_ don't you understand? If it's supernatural, we kill it. End of story, that's our job." Dean began walking away.**

**Okay, that hurt. I could be considered supernatural; I was far from normal. And Sam had visions. He could be considered supernatural, too, if you thought about things that way.**

"**No, Dean, that is not our job. Our job is hunting evil. And it these things aren't killing people, they're not evil."**

"**Of course they're killing people! That's what they do. They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them."**

"**Is that you talking or is it Gordon?" I asked.**

"**What?" he asked.**

"**Nothing. It's just you seem to be taking his word for a bunch of stuff lately. And Ellen says he's bad news."**

"**You called Ellen?" he asked, slightly confused.**

"**No, I did," Sam said.**

"**We barely know her, Sam. No thanks, I'll go with Gordon."**

**Sam scoffed. "Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend. You don't think I can see what this is?"**

"**What are you talking about?"**

"**He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one."**

"**Shut up, Sam." He turned away from Sam.**

"**He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day." Dean turned back around. "You know what, you slap on this big, fake smile, but I can see right through it. 'Cause I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead…and he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to! It's an insult to his memory."**

**Dean didn't say anything. He just turned to walk away, but then turned back around quickly, punching Sam.**

**Sam grunted in what sounded like pain and surprise mixed.**

"**Dean." I was shocked. I'd never seen either of them hit the other.**

"**Ya know, you can hit me all you want. It won't change anything." Sam seemed stunned…and hurt.**

"**I'm going to that next. You don't wanna tell me where it is? Fine. I'll find it myself." He walked away, heading back to the motel room.**

**For once, I didn't follow. I looked at Sam; a bruise was already forming where Dean had hit him. "You should've hit him back."**

**Sam shrugged. "It wouldn't have solved anything." He followed after Dean and I followed after him.**

**Gordon wasn't in the room. "You think he went after them?" I asked.**

"**Probably," Dean answered.**

"**Dean, we have to stop him," Sam said.**

"**Really, Sam? 'Cause I say we lend a hand."**

"**Just give me the benefit of the doubt, would you? You owe me that."**

"**Yeah, we'll see," Dean replied. "Give me the keys, I'll drive."**

**Sam went towards the TV set, stopping suddenly. "They're not here. Gordon snaked the keys."**

**Dean sighed. "I can't believe this."**

**So I grabbed Dean's jacket off the bed, putting it on, and headed to the door. "He probably heard everything we just said, so we have to hurry."**

**We made our way back outside and to the car, which Dean had to hotwire to get started. "I just fixed her up, too." He looked at Sam. "So, the bridge…is that all you got?"**

"**The bridge was four-and-a-half minutes from their farm."**

"**How do you know?" Dean asked.**

"**I counted." Dean seemed surprised. "We took a left out of the farm, then turned right on a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly uphill, then took another quick right, and we hit the bridge."**

"**You're good," Dean said. "You're a monster pain in the ass…but you're good."**

**Sam didn't smile. He was still upset that Dean had hit him, which was understandable. I still kinda thought Sam should've hit him back, but he was right. It wouldn't have solved anything.**

**------------- -**

**The car ride was filled with awkward tension and uncomfortable silence. Sam and Dean were glancing at each other every so often, but never at the same time. I knew it was because Dean regretted hitting Sam and that Sam wanted to tell Dean it was okay; he was forgiven.**

"**Oh, just apologize and get it over with," I said, leaning up towards the front seat, sticking my head between the two of them.**

**We were riding over the bridge now. "Hurry up," I said, "my clothes are goin' out of style." I was referring to the fact that they were taking forever to say the things they really wanted to say. "Or you can just sit there. Whichever." I leaned back in the seat.**

**Dean sighed. "All right, all right. I shouldn't have hit you, and I'm sorry."**

"**Yeah," Sam said, smiling a little. "Next time you hit me, I'm hittin' back." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.**

**That seemed to be the end of that conversation, so I cleared my throat, wanting to be apologized to, also.**

"**What?" Dean asked.**

"**If it's supernatural, you kill it?" I started, hinting at what I wanted. "You didn't kill me."**

"**You're not supernatural…or not to me, anyway."**

"**Yeah, well, I'm not normal," I said.**

"**Well, I didn't mean you," Dean said sincerely. "I'd never kill you." He looked at Sam. "Either of you. I mean, yeah, you're different, but you're still human and, uh, not evil."**

**That pretty much appeased me, which was a good thing, because we were pulling into the road that led to the farm where the vampires had been staying. Gordon's red car was there along with a truck I assumed belonged to one of the vampires.**

**We got out of the car and I could already sense that there was a vampire inside the house. So, it wasn't dead; I wouldn't have been able to sense it if it had been.**

**We walked up the front steps, Dean pulling out a gun as he went. We opened the door and stepped in. The first thing I noticed was that there was a bookshelf in the room we were standing in. And there was a grandfather clock pushed against the wall. There was a coffee table in the middle of the room.**

**I heard someone breathing hard, raspy, and began walking forward. I went down a little hallway, turning into what looked like a kitchen. It didn't look like it had been used as a kitchen, which it probably hadn't. Vampires didn't have to eat like humans did. It looked more like a get-together room. There was a table in this room, too. And another shelf.**

**We continued onto the next room, which had a semi-big table in the room, a female vampire tied to a chair at the far end. She had cuts on her face, on her neck and arms. At first I didn't understand why she was bleeding, but then I saw Gordon with a knife in his hands, a jar of blood on the table.**

"**What are you doing?" I asked.**

"**Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood."**

"**Why?"**

"**She's gonna tell us where all her little friends are," he turned to Lenore, "aren't you?" He looked at Dean now. "wanna help? Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers." He brought the knife to her forearm and started cutting. Lenore whimpered, but she didn't talk.**

"**Whoa, whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?" Dean said.**

"**Oh, I'm completely chill," Gordon responded. And he was. How, I didn't know. I mean, he was torturing this poor girl-vampire-and she didn't deserve it.**

"**Gordon, put the knife down," Sam said, stepping forward, but Dean stopped him.**

"**It sounds like it's Sammy who needs to chill."**

"**Just step away from her, all right?"**

**Gordon looked at Lenore and then back at us. "You're right." He put the knife on the table. "I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery." He went to a bag that was on the table and pulled out a much bigger knife. Not machete big, but big enough. "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane."**

"**Gordon, I'm letting her go," Sam said, starting to walk over to Lenore.**

**Gordon pointed the knife at Sam's chest. "You're not doin' a damn thing."**

"**Hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this," Dean said placatingly.**

"**What's there to talk about? She's not human. There are not shades of gray."**

"**Yeah, I hear you. And I know how you feel."**

"**Do you?" Gordon asked skeptically.**

"**Look, the vampire that killed your sister _deserved_ to die," I said, trying to explain our side so he'd point the knife somewhere other than Sam. "But this one is different."**

**Gordon laughed. "Killed my sister? That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her into one of them. So I hunted her down and I killed her myself."**

"**You did what?" Dean asked, incredulous.**

"**It wasn't my sister anymore. It wasn't human. I didn't blink…and neither would you," he said, pointing to Dean.**

"**So you knew all along then. You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You knew about the cattle," Sam said, the pieces falling into place.**

**I scoffed. "You just didn't care." There was disgust lacing my voice, but I was okay with that. Disgust is what I felt for this man.**

**He looked at me. "Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Takin' a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. It doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it." He grabbed Sam and cut his arm and then held the knife to his throat.**

"**Let him go," Dean said, raising his gun and taking the safety off. "Now."**

"**Relax. If I wanted to kill him, he'd already be on the floor. Just makin' a little point." Gordon took Sam over to Lenore, holding his arm over her head, squeezing it to make blood come out. Some dripped onto Lenore's face, making her fangs come out. "You still think she's different? Still wanna save her? Look at her. They're all the same-evil, bloodthirsty."**

**Lenore turned her face away and her teeth went back to normal.**

"**No," she said over and over again.**

"**You hear her, Gordon? She said no," I said.**

**Gordon looked down at Lenore, seeming a little confused.**

**Sam pushed the knife away from his throat. "We're done here." He bent down, untying Lenore. He picked her up and began carrying her away. Gordon tried to go after them.**

"**Uh-uh," Dean said, training his gun on him. "I think you and I got some things to talk about."**

"**Get out of my way," Gordon said.**

**Dean shook his head. "Sorry."**

"**You're not serious?"**

"**I'm having a hard time believing it, too, but I know what I saw. You want those vampires, you're gotta go through me."**

**Gordon sighed, stabbing the knife into the table. "Fine."**

**Dean smirked, taking the ammo out of his gun. "Oh, come on," I said. "You're not actually gonna duke it out with this guy."**

**Dean shrugged. "Looks like."**

**Gordon three the first punch. Dean punched back, making Gordon stumble a few steps back. He grabbed the knife from the table swinging it at Dean several times, missing each time. Dean grabbed his arm, swinging him into the wall, making the knife fall to the floor.**

"**You're doin' this for a fang?" Gordon asked. "Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here!"**

"**I don't think so, you sadistic bastard." Gordon pushed himself away from the wall, turned the two of them around and kicked Dean crashing into the other room onto a table.**

**Okay, someone really needed to put a stop to this. His back was to me, so I sent a kick to the back of his knee, sending him to the floor.**

"**Pocket," Dean said, getting up from the floor. "Gun!"**

**Oh right. I'd forgotten Dean carried a gun in his jacket, which I had on. I found the gun and wondered whether I should take the safety off or not. I mean, I didn't wanna kill the guy, even if I didn't like him.**

**Gordon turned his body around, looking at me and the gun. He smirked. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?" He got up on his knees. "You don't have the nerve."**

**I walked a little closer and saw Dean coming up behind him. "All right, so you know me." I shrugged, then brought my arm up, cold-cocking him with the butt of the gun. He was out like a light.**

**I handed the gun to Dean. "I did the right thing, right? Not killing him?"**

"**Yeah," Dean reassured me. "Deciding who lives and dies isn't part of our job description."**

"**If he'd gone after you again," I began, "I would've shot him…without thinking twice."**

"**Right, well, uh, we should tie him up," Dean said, avoiding the fact that I would've shot someone for him. To protect him.**

**Dean and I bent down and lifted Gordon up, placing him upright in a chair. We tied him up with the same rope he'd tied Lenore up with. Ironic.**

"**Hey, uh, you don't think I'm like that? Do you?" Dean asked.**

"**Like?"**

"**Like Gordon."**

**Oh. "No," I said firmly. "I just think you're hurting and maybe a little confused and you don't know how to let the pain go, so it turns into anger." I stepped closer to him. "But you're not like him. If you were, you wouldn't have helped us save Lenore. You wouldn't have cared whether she was good or not."**

**I was finally right up close to him and now I got a good look at his face. His lip was split on the right side on the bottom. He had a bruise on his cheek and a cut about his eye. "I should've hit him harder," I said, raising my hand to his eyebrow.**

"**What?" He followed where my hand went with his eyes and then looked down at me again.**

"**He kinda mangled your face," I whispered. I ran my thumb lightly over the cut above his eye. I felt his blood coat my finger. I then ran the back of my hand over his bruised cheek, making my way down to his busted lip. There was blood there, too. "Does it hurt?"**

**Dean swallowed, my eyes traveling down to his throat and then back to his eyes. "It's suddenly painless," he said softly. And okay, that was a little corny, but it was sweet, nonetheless.**

**I smiled, placing my hand on the side of his neck, pulling him gently down. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his mouth. I kissed the left side of his mouth, not wanted to hurt him. It was more of a chaste kiss, a permission kiss. I was letting him know that whenever he wanted to kiss me, I was ready. We'd been together five days; most guys wouldn't have waited _that_ long. But it seemed that Dean really was going by my pace here. That, more than anything else, calmed my nerves and insecurities.**

**------------- -**

**Gordon had eventually woken up. He'd seemed surprised that he was tied up, and that we were still here. And then he got mad.**

**Dean was sitting on the edge of the table and I was leaning up against him, my head on his arm. I was so comfy, I probably would've gone to sleep if Gordon hadn't been there.**

**I heard the sound of a car outside and I knew it was Sam with the Impala. It was funny how familiar and comforting that sound was to me.**

**Sam came into the room, looked at Gordon and then at Dean, taking in their disheveled states. "Did I miss anything?"**

"**Nah, not much," Dean answered, standing up. I wanted to protest, because he'd jostled me in the process, but I didn't.**

**Instead, I looked at Sam. "Lenore get out okay?"**

"**Yeah," he was looking at Gordon, who looked royally ticked off, "all of them did."**

**Dean and I went to stand by Sam. "Well, then I guess our work here is done."**

**I smiled. I was proud of him.**

**Dean looked at Gordon. "How, you doin', Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet?" He didn't give Gordon time to answer. "All right…well, get real comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have 'em come out, untie you."**

**I grabbed his arm gently. "Ready to go, Dean?"**

"**Not yet." The tone of his voice implied he was planning something. I let go of his arm and he looked at Gordon again. "I guess this is good-bye. Well, it's been real." Dean punched Gordon, making him and the chair fall backwards.**

**I let out a loud laugh, but then covered my mouth with my had, because, really, that shouldn't have been funny. But then I looked at Sam, who was grinning, and I didn't feel so bad.**

**Dean turned back to me. "Okay. I'm good now, we can go." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room.**

**When we got outside I saw that Sam was still grinning, but he was looking at Dean and me. He caught by eye and his grin widened. I blushed, turning my face to hide it against Dean's shoulder.**

"**So," Sam began, "you two are together now, huh?"**

**We stopped walking as we got to the car and Dean pulled me tighter to him, almost possessively. I didn't mind that he thought I was his. Truth was…I was.**

"**Yeah,' Dean said, watching as Sam walked over to the passenger side door. "Are you okay with that?" Dean sounded like he really wanted to know.**

"**Yeah." Sam smiled and then looked at me. "Would it have mattered?"**

**Dean kissed the side of my head. "No," he said, sounding like he meant it.**

**The three of us got in the car and Dean started it. The sun was starting to come up and I could see the bruise on his cheek more clearly now. And, yup, I definitely should have hit Gordon harder.**

"**What are we gonna do now?" I asked. "Are we gonna go back to Bobby's or…what?"**

"**I don't know. We might. If we can't find another job soon," Dean said. "We're gonna check out of that motel, though."**

"**We didn't even get to sleep," I protested.**

"**We can stop somewhere in a few hours. I just want this place in my rearview mirror." Dean was silent as he started driving, but then he spoke. "You know, I wish we never took this job, it jacked everything up."**

"**What do you mean?" Sam asked.**

"**Well, think about all the hunts we went on…our whole lives."**

"**Okay…" Sam sounded like he didn't know where this was going. I did. Dean was wondering whether he'd ever killed anything that wasn't evil.**

"**What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? Ya know, I mean, the way Dad raised us. It…" he trailed off. I scooted closer to the front seat to squeeze his shoulder.**

"**Dean," Sam began, "after what happened to Mom…Dad did the best he could."**

"**Yeah, I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us to hate those things, and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill, I didn't even think about it. Hell, I even enjoyed it."**

"**Dean…you didn't kill Lenore," I reminded him.**

"**Yeah, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her, I was gonna kill 'em all."**

"**Yeah, Dean, but you didn't," Sam said firmly. "And that's what matters."**

**Dean seemed convinced. "Yeah, because you're a pain in the ass."**

**I laughed. Sam hadn't taken offense, so it amused me.**

"**Guess I might have to stick around and be a pain in the ass then," Sam said.**

"**Thanks," Dean said, and meant it.**

**Sam grinned. "Don't mention it."**

**We made it back to the motel and Sam went to check us out, while Dean and I got our stuff together. I was zipping my bag when Dean started talking.**

"**So, um, back at the farm…you kinda laid one on me there."**

**I turned to look at him. "Yeah. Should I not have?"**

"**No, it's not that," he said, stepping closer to me. "I just wanted to make sure that…well, _you_ were sure. I mean, it's a big first step."**

**I smiled. "Dean, the fact that you would stop and make sure that I wanted you to kiss me before you actually did it…makes me sure that I want to."**

**He was right in front of me, _looking_ at me, from my lips to my eyes. And…oh…he wanted to kiss me now. But he wasn't moving towards me anymore. Hm…maybe he wanted me to do it.**

**I'd been right. He'd waited until after I rose on my tiptoes to bring his face towards mine. My eyes closed as our lips touched, his hands coming up to rest on my neck.**

**I felt his tongue flick at my bottom lip, asking, _begging_, for entrance, and I gasped, my mouth opening slightly. His tongue invaded my mouth gently and I couldn't keep from moaning, which would have been embarrassing if I had been anywhere close to caring at that point. But, ha, I wasn't.**

**It felt good, _he_ felt good. He _tasted_ good. I didn't have a name for the things he tasted like, but it didn't matter anyway, so whatever,**

**Dean slid his hands from my neck down to my arms and started rubbing them gently, soothingly. And for the first time I realized I was tense. I was kissing him back but I was _tense_, so I tried to relax.**

**He was kissing me slowly, cautiously, like he was scared I was gonna run away. Well, we couldn't have that, couldn't have him thinking that.**

**I let my mind rest, let it stop thinking, and just let myself _feel_. Our tongues were dancing to a slow, gentle rhythm. Neither of us fought for dominance. That wasn't what this was about.**

**Oxygen was quickly becoming an issue for me, so I softly broke away, breathing heavily. Oh, he'd wreaked havoc on my system.**

**I hugged him to me, wrapping my arms around him gently. I'd remembered he'd landed on his back when he'd crashed through the table and I didn't wanna hurt him.**

**He wrapped his arms around me, in turn, and began playing with my hair.**

**I grinned, resting my head against his chest. That felt good, too. But what made me happiest was that he wasn't running away from me, so that was a start.**

* * *

Hey, where are my reviews, people? LOL. Anyway, um...yeah, let me know how you're liking the whole relationship between Dean and Alyson, because I'm really self-conscious about my romance writing skills. And the kissing scene at the end, was it okay, because...well I've never written romance before, so if it came over awkward or something, that's probably why.  
Anyway, thanks in advance to those who review this chapter.


	5. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

**Sarah: Um, ha, about the whole mature lemony goodness...it depends on what the readers think, I guess. Does anybody think I should do that? Anyway, um, if I do decide to I'll have to change the rating to M. But yeah, thanks for reviewing. And, do you think I should do that?**

**Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things  
Part One**

**So we _had_ gone back to Bobby's; Sam hadn't found anything even remotely interesting job-wise, so we figured staying at Bobby's was easier than staying in a motel room until we found something.**

**I actually felt sorta bad for intruding his personal space like that, but Bobby didn't seen to mind. He acted like he enjoyed the company.**

**True to his word, Dean had called for someone to go untie Gordon; whether he'd still been there, we didn't know.**

**Dean and my sleeping arrangements were pretty much the same. Except now we kissed before sleeping.**

**Which was what we were doing now-kissing, not sleeping. I mean, we were on the bed, getting ready to sleep, but kissing came first.**

**It was different than the first one, less cautious, more playful, on both parts.**

**I nipped at his bottom lip-the part that wasn't busted-and he slipped his tongue between my lips, which had been what I'd wanted. But as soon as it was there it was gone…and then it was there again. He was thrusting his tongue gently in and out of my mouth.**

**And, of course, my mind jumped to other parts of him thrusting in and out of me. I wondered if he knew what he was doing to me. He probably did.**

**I felt a tingly sort of warmth in my nether regions and his tongue was still going in and out and _in and out_.**

**I couldn't take it anymore. When his tongue pushed its way into my mouth again, I started sucking on it lightly, massaging his tongue with my own.**

**I smiled against his mouth when he released a moan; it appeared that I was giving as good as I got.**

**We eventually broke apart, both of us panting. We were laying down, so I rested my head on his chest-we were both fully clothed-and placed my hand on his stomach.**

"**Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked.**

"**Um…" I felt myself blush. "You."**

"**I didn't teach you that." He paused. "God, I feel like I'm corrupting you or somethin'."**

"**You're not," I said, "but, uh, if you were…there are worse people to be corrupted by."**

**I felt him laugh, my head moving with his chest. I was glad he found me amusing.**

**I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I didn't exactly know how he'd react to that. _That_ might actually send him running and I definitely didn't want that.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning I was awoken by Dean rubbing my back-not a bad thing to wake up to. I opened my eyes, turning so I could look at him, his hand landing on my stomach.**

**He was sitting up, already dressed. He looked kinda broody. And it was a little too early for that, but I wanted to know what was wrong anyway. I didn't ask, though. Not yet.**

**He seemed distracted, like he'd only been rubbing my back absentmindedly, out of habit. Well, if him touching me was a habit to him now, I didn't want him to break it.**

**I sat up, grabbing hold of his hand in the process. "Hey." He looked at me. "What's up?"**

**He shrugged a little. "You sleep like a rock, you know that?"**

"**So, I've been told," I said. "But you're changing the subject." I squeezed his hand. "What's wrong?"**

"**Um…Sam was goin' through some of Dad's old things and found his military tags."**

**I didn't know what was so wrong with that. "Okay…"**

"**It got him to thinkin'…he wants to go see Mom's grave." He said the last part softly.**

**Oh. "And you don't want to," I finished for him.**

"**No, it's stupid." He sounded so sure of himself.**

**I didn't get it. "Why?"**

"**She doesn't even have a grave, not really. There was, um…there was no body left after the fire. I mean, she has a headstone, but it was put up by her uncle, a man that I've never even met."**

"**Well, Sam probably thinks it's the right thing to do…"**

"**It's irrational, that's what it is," Dean said.**

**I laughed a bit. "When are you ever rational?" I joked.**

**Dean grinned. "Hey, watch it. I know where you sleep."**

"**Don't threaten me," I said. "I could so take you in a fight."**

"**Is that a fact?"**

"**Uh-huh," I said playfully. I grew serious again. "Anyway, maybe visiting your mom's grave is what Sam needs right now." I scooted closer to him to sit beside him and he took his hand out of mine to wrap his arm around me. "You don't have to go anywhere near it. And, uh…I'll be with you. Ya know, if you want me there."**

**His arm tightened around me, kissing my head. "I'll always want you here," he said softly.**

**And I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat when he said that. That was his way of saying he needed me without actually saying it.**

**I looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere," I promised.**

**------------- -**

**So we were in the car now, headed to Kansas, where Mary Winchester had been buried. Dean had made the same arguments to Sam that he had to me. There was no sense in going because there was no body, just a slab of granite put up by a stranger.**

"**Look, man, no one asked you to come," Sam said.**

"**Why don't we swing by the Roadhouse instead?" Dean suggested. "I mean, we haven't heard anything on the demon lately. We should be hunting that son of a bitch down."**

"**That's a good idea," Sam said. "You should. Just drop me off. I'll hitch a ride, and I'll meet you there tomorrow."**

**I could practically feel Dean roll his eyes at that idea. "Right. S-stuck with those people, making awkward small talk 'til you show up? No thanks."**

**He turned the radio on and up, ending the conversation.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the cemetery, all three of us got out of the car; Dean didn't go with Sam to the headstone, just like I'd known he wouldn't. I stayed with him like I said I would.**

**The two of us started walking randomly through the cemetery; it was nice, well-kept. We came across a tree that was completely dead, as was the grass around it. It was near a grave. It was a new grave. Apparently, a girl named Angela Mason had died. It was weird, but the flowers on her grave were dead too.**

**I looked up at Dean, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "What do you think happened?"**

"**I don't know," he answered.**

"**But…it bothers you?"**

"**Well, yeah. It looks like something weird happened here."**

**That much was true. "Yeah, but I'm not getting' any weird vibes or anything." I paused. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't check it out, though."**

"**Yeah, all right. I'm gonna go talk to the groundskeeper. You go wait with Sam. Whatever did this could still be around."**

"**Yeah. Okay." Dean walked away and I started towards Sam.**

**Sam was squatting down in front of Mary's headstone. I stayed about ten feet away to give him some space. He was digging a small hole with a knife to put the military tags in.**

**When he stood up I walked closer to him. "Are you okay?" I asked, grabbing his arm gently.**

"**Yeah," he said, looking at me. "Where's Dean?"**

"**Oh, um, he went to talk to the groundskeeper. We found something weird. Maybe."**

"**Here?" he asked skeptically.**

"**Yeah. A big old patch of dead grass and a dead tree."**

"**Where?" I lead him to the gravesite and showed him Angela Mason's flowers near her headstone. "You think something supernatural did this?"**

"**I don't know. Maybe. I told Dean we should check it out anyway."**

"**Hm. I wonder who she was."**

**I shrugged. "I don't know." I turned to walk away. "Come on, let's go wait by the car."**

**A few minutes later, Dean walked towards us, holding a piece of paper. "Angela Mason," he said when he reached us. "She was a student at the local college. Her funeral was three days ago."**

"**And?" Sam asked.**

"**_And_? You saw her grave. Everything's dead around it in a perfect circle. You don't think that's a little weird?"**

"**Maybe the groundskeeper when a little agro with the pesticide."**

"**No. I asked him. No pesticide, no chemicals. Nobody can explain it."**

"**Okay, so, what are you thinking?" I asked.**

"**I don't know. Unholy ground, maybe?" Dean answered.**

**Sam looked confused. "Unholy ground?"**

"**Yeah, why? If something evil happened there, it could easily poison the ground."**

"**Yeah, but-"**

"**Could be the sign of a demonic presence," Dean interrupted.**

"**What about that girl's spirit?" I suggested.**

"**Yeah, if it's powerful enough," Dean agreed. Sam made a face like he didn't believe anything we were saying, but he nodded anyway. "Well, don't get too excited, you might pull something."**

**Sam went to get in the passenger seat. "It's just…stumbling onto a hunt? Here, of all places?"**

"**So?"**

"**So, are you sure this is about a hunt and not about something else?"**

**Dean and I got in the car too. "What else would it be about?" Dean asked. He sounded like he knew. Maybe he was seeing a hunt when there wasn't one, so he wouldn't have to focus on what was going on.**

**Or maybe there _was_ a hunt and we were meant to come here and find it. I mean, in my experience, things tended to happen for a reason.**

**Sam sighed. "You know what, just forget it."**

"**You can believe what you want, Sam. But I let you drag my ass out here, the least we can do is check this out."**

**Sam hesitated. "Yeah. Fine."**

"**The girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school."**

"**Do you even know where we're going?" I asked.**

"**Uh, the local college," Dean said.**

"**Yes, Dean, I know that. I mean, do you know where he is, which subject he teaches?"**

"**Oh. Ancient Greek or somethin' like that."**

**Oh, how fun.**

**------------- -**

**So we searched out Angela's father, Dr. Mason, at the local college. He had an office at the Department of Archeology and Greek Studies, which we were now sitting in.**

**We introduced ourselves as friends of Angela's, so he had invited us in. Sam and I were sitting on a couch, looking at a picture-book of Angela. She'd seemed so happy.**

**I looked up at Dean, who was standing in the corner, looking around. The office had little odds and ends all over the place; an urn, for which I hoped didn't have ashes, a vase, and what looked like an old-fashioned balancing scale. Not to mention, a shelf full of books.**

**Dean had one in his hands, open, going through it. He closed it and turned it towards Sam, Dr. Mason, and me. "This is an unusual book," he said.**

**It had some kind of symbol on it. A triangle with a semi-circle going through the bottom right of it. There was a slash going through the tip of it and what looked like a halo above it.**

"**I teach ancient Greek here at the school." Dean put the book down and Dr. Mason looked down at the pictures again. "Angie was only a mile away from home when, uh…" he trailed off, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them.**

"**That's gotta be hard…losing someone like that," Dean said. "Sometimes it's like they're still around. Almost like you can still sense their presence. You ever feel anything like that?"**

"**I do, as a matter of fact," Dr. Mason said.**

**I saw Dean look at Sam, almost smugly. Sam saw him and glared. "That's perfectly normal, Dr. Mason," Sam said. "Especially with what you're going through."**

**Dr. Mason smiled sadly. "You know, I phoned her. The phone was ringing before I remembered that, uh…" He paused. "Family is everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I'm just lost without her."**

**I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm very sorry." Normally, I wouldn't do that to someone I just met, but from what he'd said, he didn't have anyone else.**

"**It's just, she was so young, ya know?' He looked at me. "And to have her life thrown away like that…"**

**I looked up at Dean, who looked away and refused to meet my eyes. He was acting like this didn't bother him at all. This man was in pain and it was like he didn't care. I knew that wasn't true, so I didn't hate him for it.**

**I squeezed Dr. Mason's shoulder one last time before standing up. "Again, I'm very sorry," I said. I walked over to Dean. "We are leaving," I whispered firmly, turning to walk out of the office.**

**------------- -**

**We'd found the nearest decently priced motel and rented out a room. Sam had wanted to take a shower, so I was researching. I was laying on my stomach with the laptop in front of me, looking up anything I could find on Angela Mason. I'd even looked up her old school records. She'd been a pretty good student.**

**Dean was sitting at the table, well, more precisely, _on_ the table, going through John's journal.**

"**I'm tellin' you, there's something going on here. We just haven't found it yet. I mean, something turned that grave into unholy ground." He seemed frustrated that we hadn't hound anything yet.**

**I closed my computer and sat up. "Dean," I said softly, so he'd look at me. "There's no reason for it to be unholy ground. I mean, Angela died in a car crash. Most spirits are born from violent deaths. And a car crash may be gruesome, but it's not violent."**

**I heard the water in the bathroom cut off, so I got up off the bed and moved closer to Dean. "Dean, look at me." He did. "Is this about your mom's grave?" His eyes hardened and his jaw clenched. "Don't get mad. Just tell me you actually think there's a case and I'll believe you."**

**He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes, I think there's a case here."**

"**Okay. Then we'll continue to look into it. All right?"**

**Sam came out of the bathroom and sat on one of the beds. "Did you find anything? Besides a patch of dead grass?"**

"**Sam," I said warningly.**

"**What?" he said, standing back up. "We shouldn't even be here anymore."**

"**So, what? We just bail without even figuring out what's going on?" Dean asked skeptically.**

"**I think I know what's going on here," Sam replied. "It's the only reason I went along with you this far."**

"**What are you talking about?" Dean asked.**

"**This is about Mom's grave."**

**Dean looked at the floor. "That's got nothin' to do with it."**

"**Oh yeah? You wouldn't step within a hundred yards of it. Look…maybe you're imagining a hunt where there isn't one so that you don't have to think about Mom. Or Dad." Dean threw John's journal on the table, standing up from it. He was glaring at Sam, hard. Sam sighed. "You wanna take another swing? Go ahead. If it'll make you feel better."**

**Dean shook his head. "I don't need this crap." He picked up his keys and went towards the door.**

"**Dean, where're you goin'?" Sam asked.**

"**I'm gonna go get a drink. Alone," he said before walking out the door.**

**------------- -**

**Midnight. Dean wasn't back yet. I was having trouble sleeping and I realized it was because Dean wasn't with me. I mean, I guess it made sense. I'd been sleeping in the same bed as him for a while. Even before we'd gotten together, I'd had him beside me when we were sleeping and the lack of Dean was making me restless.**

**I let out a sigh and rolled over onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling, contemplating whether or not I should just get up, because it was obvious I wasn't going to sleep.**

**It startled me when a phone started vibrating on the nightstand in between the beds. Both mine and Sam's phones were there, so I looked to see which one it was. It ended up being mine, so I picked it up and looked at the screen. Layla was calling.**

**I sat up and answered. "Hello?"**

"**Hey, did I wake you?" Her voice sounded nasally, like maybe she was sick.**

"**Uh, no. I was awake." I looked over at Sam's sleeping form-he hadn't moved since I'd begun talking, but I didn't wanna risk it. I got up, found the key to the room and walked out quietly.**

**This motel was one of those where the parking lot led straight to each room, so there was no hallway. I was outside now.**

**Layla hadn't said anything for a while. "You still there?"**

"**Yeah," she answered. I heard her take a shaky breath and my heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong.**

"**Layla, are you okay?"**

**She laughed, almost hysterically. "No, I'm-I'm freaking out. I feel like I'm going crazy."**

"**Why? W-what happened?" I was almost scared to ask.**

"**My mom's in the hospital," she said.**

"**What? Is she sick?"**

"**No, she was attacked." Layla paused. "My dad attacked her."**

**I almost dropped my phone. Mr. Stevens, Layla's dad, wasn't like that.**

"**He attacked _me_. My mom, she, uh, she killed him."**

**I swallowed hard. That didn't sound right. As I'd said, Mr. Stevens wasn't like that. I'd known him as long as I'd known Layla and he'd never done anything like that before.**

"**Layla…I don't know what to say. I'm sorry," I was whispering, near tears.**

"**Say that you'll come home. Say that you'll come stay with me for a few days." She paused. "I know you can't stay and I know that you said that it would be dangerous to be around you. But…I really need you here."**

"**Um…we're in the middle of a job right now, and I know they won't leave, but yeah. I'll be there as soon as I can. You can count on it." I saw a car park in front of me-the Impala-and its headlights turned off. "I'm gonna bring the guys with me, is that okay?"**

"**Yeah, whatever, just _get here_."**

"**I will," I said. "Take care of your mom, okay?"**

"**Yeah." It sounded like she was breaking down. "Please, hurry."**

**A tear slid down my cheek. "I promise." I hung up my phone and bit my lip, so I could hold it together.**

**I waited for Dean to get out of the car and then looked at him. He seemed sober enough.**

"**What are you doin' out here by yourself," he asked. He walked closer to me and saw I was crying. "Hey, what's wrong, who were you talkin' to?"**

"**Layla," I whispered.**

"**Oh. I don't know why you keep talking to her. Every time you do, you get like this."**

"**She's my friend, Dean," I said, thinking that explained everything. I brought my hand up to wipe away my tears, but he grabbed it with his own.**

"**Why were you talking to her at-" he checked his watch-there was just enough light from the motel sign that he could see-"-one-thirty in the morning?"**

"**She, uh…she called me." I looked up at him. "Dean, we have to go to her. I mean, I know we're in the middle of a case and we can't leave until after, but we have to go."**

"**What happened?" he asked, stepping closer to me, wiping my face with the back of his hand.**

"**I don't exactly know. She didn't tell me everything. But, she said that her dad attacked her mom and then attacked her. Her mom killed…she killed him. And she's in the hospital. I don't know how bad it is. She didn't say."**

"**Wait, Layla's in the hospital?"**

"**No, her mom." I closed my eyes, another tear falling down. "I told her we'd come. She needs me," I finished softly. I opened my eyes again, looking up at Dean. There was enough light outside that I could tell that Dean was worried. "We can go, right?"**

"**Are you sure you're ready for that?"**

"**For?"**

"**Going back home," Dean specified.**

"**Oh." I thought about it. "No, but Layla needs me. So I'll _get_ ready.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning, I woke up to Dean kissing his way from my ear, down my jaw, to my lips. I brought my arm up so I could place my hand on the back of his neck.**

**He pulled back a little and I opened my eyes, which felt dry and swollen. They probably were. "Are you okay?" he whispered.**

"**I don't know," I answered honestly. I looked at the clock, it was seven. "What are you doing up?"**

"**I was gonna go to Angela's house, see if I can find anything out. I figured we should start early, so we might get done quicker."**

**So that meant we were going. "Thank you," I said, and he knew what I was talking about. He kissed my forehead quickly before standing up.**

"**Do you wanna come with me?"**

**I looked over at Sam, who was sound asleep, and sighed. "Shouldn't you ask him, too?"**

"**He doesn't think anything's going on. Plus, you could probably use something to take your mind off of, uh, other things."**

"**I really could." I sat up. "Just, um, let me change and stuff, and I'll be ready."**

**I got up, got a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom. I washed my face with cold water and then brushed my teeth and my hair. I sighed, looking at my reflection. I just wanted this case over so I could get to Layla.**

**I changed my clothes and hurried out of the bathroom, finding Dean sitting on the bed. "I'm good to go."**

**So we went out to the car and started towards Angela Mason's house. Dean patted the spot beside him, so I scooted closer to him. He wrapped an arm around me and kept one hand on the wheel.**

**When we got to Angela's, Dean used a credit card to get through the door. It was amazing we didn't get caught, because Angela had lived in a housing community made specifically for the students who went to the college.**

**We walked into what had to be the living room. I mean, the TV was in there, along with a chair and a loveseat and a cushioned stool looking thing. There was a hallway to the left that led to a few different rooms. A brown-haired girl wearing a tight pink shirt and little shorts came out of one of the room and spotted us.**

"**Who the hell are you?" she asked, looking like she was getting ready to bolt.**

"**Um, I'm Angela's cousin," Dean said. "Yeah, her dad sent me over to pick up her stuff. My name's Alan…Alan Stanwick." I bit the side of my cheek, so I could keep a straight face. He looked at me. "This is my girlfriend, Alyson."**

"**Her dad didn't say that you were coming."**

"**Oh. Well, uh," he dug around in his pocket, dragging out his keys. "I mean, how else would I have a key to your place?"**

**She looked at his hand that was holding the keys-his keys-and she seemed to relax. "Okay, um, well, I'm Lindsey. Angela was my roommate." She seemed to realize what she had on. "Um, let me go change and, uh, I'll be right with you. You guys make yourself at home." She gestured to the living room, before heading into one of the rooms.**

**Dean and I went to sit down. I chose the chair and Dean took the stool. "So, Alan Stanwick, huh?" I teased.**

**Dean shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything else."**

**I grinned. "Yeah. You know, we almost scared that poor girl to death."**

"**I didn't know she was gonna be here. You're the one who went into her school records."**

**I stuck my tongue out at him. "Bite me."**

"**I'm gonna take you up on that offer later," he promised. I blushed and shook my head at him fondly, adoringly.**

**A few minutes later, Lindsey walked out of the room she'd gone into, and sat down on the loveseat. She was wearing an outfit I would've worn. Jeans, T-shirt, and a jacket. Very casual.**

"**So…" Dean started. "I'm sure you got a view of Angela that none of the family got to see. Tell me, what was she like? I mean, wh-what was she _really_ like?"**

"**She was great," Lindsey whispered. "Just…great. I mean, she was so…" she gestured emphatically with her hands.**

"**Great?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah," Lindsey said, starting to sob.**

"**Yeah," Dean said. "Here ya go." He handed her a tissue from the table. He looked at me and grimaced. Apparently, he didn't care too much for overly emotional girls. Unless they were me.**

"**You two must have been really close, huh?" I asked and Lindsey looked at me.**

"**We were," she agreed. "But it's not just her. It's Matt."**

"**Who?" Dean asked.**

"**Angela's boyfriend."**

"**Right, Matt." He acted like he'd known, just had forgotten. "Uh…what about him?"**

"**He killed himself last night. He cut his own throat. I mean, who does that?" She rubbed at her throat before dropping her hand down to her lap. "He was taking Angela's death pretty hard. And I guess…I mean, he'd been messed up about it for days."**

"**Messed up how?" I asked.**

"**He kept saying that he saw her everywhere."**

"**Well, I'm sure that that's normal," Dean said. "I mean, with everything that he was going through."**

"**No, he said that he _saw_ her. As in, an acid trip or something."**

**Dean hesitated before speaking. "Were Angela and Matt a happy couple? I mean, was there any reason that Angela would be angry with him?"**

"**What? No, of course not." She averted her eyes and then looked back at Dean. "Why do you ask?"**

**Dean shrugged. "Just asking."**

**I looked at my watch. It was almost nine. "Hey, uh-" I almost said Dean, "-Alan, we should go soon. Don't ya think?"**

**He looked down at his watch now. "Right…so," he looked at Lindsey, "Angela's stuff would be…?"**

"**Oh, um, it's in her room, but I haven't packed it yet."**

**Dean looked at me and then back at Lindsey. "That's okay. We can get it later. But do you mind if I take a few minutes…"**

**Lindsey shook her head. "Sure, come on. I'll show you where it is."**

**I stayed in the living room, and about thirty seconds later Lindsey came back and sat down again.**

"**So, your boyfriend seems nice," Lindsey said.**

"**Yeah, he's pretty amazing," I agreed. Awkward silence set in and I didn't know what to say, so I just said the first thing that popped into my head. "So, um, Matt…was he a student here?"**

**She nodded. "He lived about two blocks over. On Washington Street. He lived by himself, which is probably why no one stopped him from-" she broke off, tears forming in her eyes again.**

"**You and Matt were close too?"**

**Lindsey nodded again. "Yeah, we used to not be, but we grew closer recently."**

"**Oh."**

**Things were silent until Dean came back into the room. "I think we're done here," he said.**

**So I stood up and went to him. "It was nice meeting you," I said to Lindsey.**

"**Yeah, you too."**

**When we got out to the car, Dean turned to me. "You wanna go get breakfast?"**

"**Without Sam? You trying to starve him now?" I joked.**

**He grinned a little. "No, I'm just hungry."**

**I smiled. "Well, can you wait a little while longer? We can go check out Matt's place. He lives on Washington Street. Wherever that is."**

"**Good idea. And, uh," he pulled a pink book out of his jacket-he had pockets on the inside of it, "I got this from Angela's room."**

"**Is that her journal?" I asked, grinning. Stealing something personal like that was just such a Dean thing to do.**

"**Yep," he said. "Now, Lindsey didn't specify where Washington Street is?"**

"**No, just that it's in this housing community, two blocks over. I don't know which way."**

**------------- -**

**Matt's house wasn't hard to find; it was the one with the yellow crime-scene tape in front of the door, which we ducked under. The layout of the house was the same as Angela's had been, probably because it was part of the same community.**

**We didn't have to look hard to find where Matt had died or, more than likely, been killed. It was in the living room. There was a bloodstain on the brown leather sofa, and dried blood on the TV.**

"**Okay, there's no way he did that by himself," I said. "For the blood to spurt out in that direction, you would have to be cut at an angle that no human could achieve by himself."**

**Dean looked at me and blinked a few times. "You're scary sometimes, you know that?"**

"**What? Like you weren't thinking it."**

**Dean shrugged and looked around. On the coffee table in front of the sofa was a dead plant. He pointed it out to me, but I'd already seen it. Something weird was definitely going on here.**

* * *

Hey, people, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Um, the question I asked Sarah goes to anyone who is going to review. Do you think I should try to do a mature scene somewhere along the line. Like the first time they have sex or something. Or should I just leave it to the imagination? I'm kinda wondering, because I don't know what age group is reading this story. And you know I wouldn't want some young kid reading something raunchy. Ya know?


	6. CSPWDT Part Two

**Hey, readers. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but it's been kinda hectic around here, what with Easter and all that. Family drama, meeting my cousin's boyfriend, who is really nice. But anyway, here's the next chapter, which I sort of had writer's block on. Another reason it took me a while to update. But...Enjoy. And thanks to the people who reviewed, and will review in the future.**

**Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things  
Part Two**

**After we left Matt's we went to breakfast because Dean was hungry. His stomach was growling, which I found amusing.**

**The diner we ended up at was nicer than the ones Sam, Dean, and I went to together. I wasn't sure, but I was thinking it was his way of apologizing for running out the night before. So I told him my suspicion and that it was okay. He didn't have to make it up to me because he didn't have anything to make up for.**

**He smiled, making my heart go pitter-patter. "Actually, that's not what this is about. But now that you mention it, I shouldn't have walked out on you. It wasn't you I was mad at." He paused. "I mean, I know what it's like to watch someone you care about walk out the door."**

"**Dean, I knew you weren't gonna leave," I reassured him. "You wouldn't just leave me. You wouldn't leave _Sam_. You care about us too much."**

"**Yeah." Dean nodded, looking at me. "You're insane, you know that?"**

**That confused me. "What do you mean?"**

"**For puttin' up with me. I know I can be hard to get along with sometimes."**

"**Shush," I said softly. "Dean, when you care about someone, you care about them. Just because you have your little mood swings…it isn't gonna change how I feel about you."**

"**Like I said, totally insane. I mean, my mood swings are pretty severe."**

"**That doesn't matter. You treat me right, and I'm happy." I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "And, Dean, you make me happy." I could tell Dean didn't or _couldn't _believe me when I said that. "And I'm probably making you really uncomfortable, so I'm only going to say one more thing."**

"**Yeah? And what's that?" he asked.**

"**Just that, uh, I know you're used to people leaving you, but that won't happen with me." I was looking him straight in the eye when I said that to let him know how serious I was. "I guess you're stuck with me. As long as you want me here, I'm gonna be here."**

**He looked down at our connected hands and didn't really say anything for a while. But when he finally did, he surprised me. "Wow," he said softly. "If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd think you were lying." He looked up at me. "But you're you, and, no offense, but you suck at lying. And the only option left is that you're telling the truth."**

**I smiled. It was ironic to me that this conversation had started out with him apologizing to me about leaving and had ended with me promising not to leave him. The best part, though, was that he seemed to believed me.**

**------------- -**

**After we finished eating breakfast, we decided we needed to get back to Sam-or, well, I did. Dean was more wanting for us to do it ourselves since Sam didn't think anything was going on. Or not anything supernatural, anyway. So we were on our way back to the motel, and I was in the front seat reading Angela's diary…but only the pages leading up to her death.**

"**This feels kinda…morbid," I said.**

"**Yeah, well, everything about this job is morbid."**

"**True," I agreed. "But still…" I continued reading the diary. She'd seemed like a sweet girl and she'd loved her dad and Matt and Lindsey. She seemed pretty laid-back by her writing. I mean, she didn't complain a lot. She had a best friend named Neil, and from the way she described him, he'd wanted to be more than that. Poor guy.**

"**So, did you ever keep one of those things?" Dean asked, nodding at the book in my hands.**

**I closed the diary. "Nah. I mean, if something bothered me that much, I would write about it just to vent, but then I'd throw it away."**

"**Why?"**

"**Because if I wanted a record of my life, I would want all the things that made me happy and not the other way around."**

"**Hm. Sounds smart. Who knew that I'd get with a brain?"**

**I laughed. "If I'm the brain, what are you?"**

"**Um, the muscle," he replied.**

**I shook my head. We were insane…the good kind of insane, but still _insane_. We were in the middle of a murder case and here we were playfully bantering back and forth. Something was wrong with us, but, for some reason, I was okay with that.**

**We got back to the motel and walked in the room. Sam was sitting on the bed, watching TV, but he immediately turned it off when we came in. Dean paused, glancing from the TV back to Sam.**

"**What?" Sam asked.**

"**Were you watching porn?" Dean asked, amused.**

"**No," Sam said guiltily. "Where the hell were you guys?"**

"**We were working our imaginary case," Dean answered.**

"**Yeah, and?"**

"**Well, you were right, I didn't find much." He laid his jacket down on the bed. Sam nodded, like he'd expected that all along. "Yeah, except Angela's boyfriend died last night. Slit his own throat. But, you know, that's normal. Ah, let's see, what else did we find., Alyson?" He looked at me, pulling me into the middle of this. It sounded like he was trying to tell Sam that he was outnumbered, that I was on Dean's side.**

"**He was seeing Angela everywhere before he died."**

"**Right," Dean said scathingly. "But, ya know, I'm sure that's just me transferring my own feelings."**

**Sam smiled a little at his mistake. "Okay, I get it. I'm sorry. Maybe there _is_ something going on here."**

"**Maybe?" Dean said defensively. "Sam, I know how to do my job, despite what you might think. I mean, I did it just fine by myself while you were in college."**

**Sam nodded, looking down at the floor before looking back at Dean. "We should check out the guys house or apartment or whatever."**

"**We already went," I said. "Dead plants…dead goldfish…dead boyfriend. I mean, he wasn't actually there, but, ya know…"**

"**So, unholy ground?" Sam asked.**

"**Maybe," Dean said. "But I'm still not getting that powerful angry spirit vibe from Angela. We've been reading her diary, though."**

"**You stole the girl's diary?" Sam seemed incredulous.**

"**Yeah," I answered. "Well, Dean did."**

"**And if anything, the girl's a little _too_ nice."**

"**So, what do you wanna do?" Sam asked, fully on board now.**

**Dean shrugged. "Keep digging. Talk to more of her friends."**

"**You get any names?"**

"**You kidding me?" Dean asked, grinning. "We have her bestest friend in the whole wide world."**

"**Best friend, who apparently wanted to be with her romantically," I added.**

"**How do you know that?" Sam asked, so I tossed him the diary I was holding in my hands.**

"**The way she writes about him, the things he did for her. He definitely loved her. Was _in_ love with her."**

**Sam nodded. "You got an address?"**

"**No," I answered. "But he's a T.A. at the college, so maybe he lives at the college housing community." I smiled at Sam. "You wanna check?"**

"**Yeah, sure." Sam stood up from the bed and went to his bag, taking out his laptop and sitting at the table.**

**I went to the bed and sat down, watching as Sam flipped through the pages of the diary, probably trying to find Angela's friend's name. It was Neil something, I knew that much. I couldn't remember his last name, though.**

**Dean came and sat beside me and I leaned my head on his arm. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the pulse point at my wrist, which was close to the palm of my hand, so it tickled. And he knew that, so he wouldn't let go. I watched him open his mouth and his teeth grazed my skin. They barely touched me, but I tried yanking my hand back, just the same.**

"**Uh-uh. You told me to bite you, remember?" Dean questioned.**

"**Well, yeah, but I didn't mean that literally."**

"**So you shouldn't have said it, then," he taunted. I stuck my tongue out at him, feeling like a four-year-old.**

"**Okay, got the address," Sam said, standing up from the table. "Oh, and, uh, guess whose T.A. he is."**

"**Okay, I'll bite," I said. "Whose?"**

"**Dr. Mason's. Angela's father."**

**------------- -**

**So we went to Neil's, pretending to be grief counselors, which was ironic, considering how much grief we dealt with in our jobs.**

"**I didn't realize the college employed grief counselors," Neil said. We were standing on his front porch. We'd caught him just before he'd gone in.**

"**Oh yeah. You talk, we listen. Maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage, whatever helps jumpstart the healing," Dean said.**

"**Well, I think I'm okay. Thanks." He turned to go inside, but I stopped him.**

"**Did you know Matt Harrison?"**

**He looked at me. "Yeah. I did."**

"**So you heard what happened to him?" He nodded. "Okay, well, grief can make people do crazy things. So we wanted to make sure you were okay."**

**He turned back around to face us. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am. But if Matt killed himself, it wasn't 'cause of grief."**

"**No?" Dean asked. "Then what?"**

"**It was guilt." He sounded pretty confident. "Angela's death was Matt's fault, and he knew it."**

"**How was Matt responsible?" Sam asked.**

"**She really loved that guy. But the night of the accident, she walked in on him with another girl. She was really torn up, that's why she crashed the car." He paused for a second, looking at his watch. "Uh, look, I've gotta get ready for work. So, thanks for the concern, but seriously, I'll be okay." He opened the door and went in the house.**

**Dean looked at Sam and me before walking down the porch steps. "Well, that vengeful spirit theory is starting to make a little more sense. I mean, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all that," Dean said, leading us back to the car.**

"**Okay, so…Matt's dead," I said. "Angela got her revenge. Shouldn't it be over?"**

"**I don't know, but there's one way to be sure."**

"**Yeah, what's that?" Sam asked as we reached the car.**

"**Burn the bones," Dean answered, getting in the car. Sam and I followed suit.**

"**Burn the bones?" I asked. "Angela died last week."**

"**So?" Dean asked, turning to look at me.**

"**_So_ there's not gonna be bones. Angela's flesh hasn't had time to fully decompose yet. There's gonna be a ripe, rotting body in the coffin," I answered.**

"**We'll we've gotta stop her somehow," Dean retorted. "And unless you know how…" he stopped to let me answer.**

"**Well…no," I said.**

"**All right. So we dig her up and torch her."**

**I shook my head and I saw Sam do the same. "If you say so."**

**------------- -**

**We'd known where Angela had been buried, so all we'd had to do was wait for nightfall. Thankfully, it was warm here even if it was mid-October.**

**I'd told Sam and Dean that I refused to watch him burn a semi-fresh corpse. It wasn't something I was willing to do. But they had refused to leave me alone and it wouldn't take as long if they were both digging.**

**What we hadn't counted on, though, was that the coffin was empty.**

"**They buried the body four days ago," Dean said. "So, uh, where'd it go?"**

**I'd been sitting on the ground a few feet away, but when Dean had said that, I got up and was now looking down at Angela's empty casket. The lining on the top of the casket was torn and there was familiar looking symbols carved into the wood.**

"**What is that?" Dean asked, moving closer to get a better look, shining a flashlight towards them. "I've seen those kinds of symbols before."**

"**The book in Dr. Mason's office," I said, realizing what they were. The central symbol was the triangle that had been on the book cover.**

"**Looks like Daddy Dearest did a ritual of some kind," Dean said. He looked up at Sam and me. "Three guesses as to what it does."**

"**Brings her back to life?" Sam guessed. "But he seemed to be genuinely grieving."**

"**Yeah, well, we'll see," Dean said, not sounding too confident. He obviously had Dr. Mason marked at the person who did this. Which, I had to admit, made sense. I mean, it came from the book that had been in his office, and he taught Ancient Greek, so he'd know all about it. "Anyway, we can't do anything tonight."**

**Sam took out his cell phone and took a picture of the symbols. I wondered how it turned out. I mean, it was almost completely dark outside. "So, we should go to the library in the morning, look up what this stuff means."**

"**Yeah, and then we can pay Dr. Mason a visit," Dean added.**

**------------- -**

**On the way back to the motel, I tried calling Layla. Zero joy. I called both her cell phone and her home phone, leaving a message on them, telling her to call me when she could and that we'd be there in a few days. That led to questions from Sam about where we were going and why. I hadn't remembered to tell him, so I told him then.**

**Anyway, I wasn't exactly worried _per se_, I knew she was probably at the hospital with her mom. But it did bother me that I couldn't be there for her. Aside from my mother, Layla was pretty much the only thing I missed from my old life.**

"**I'm sure she's fine," Sam said as we walked into the motel room, but it sounded like he was just going through the motions. He was reassuring me because it was expected of him. "It's like you said, she's probably at the hospital with her mom."**

**I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. It's just…something doesn't feel right. I _knew_ Mr. Stevens, and he wasn't like that. He never would've hurt Layla or her mom. Not like that. He was a good man."**

**I plopped down on the bed and I felt my shoulders slump. It wasn't so much from exhaustion-although that was also a problem-, it was from worry. Every time I'd had a free moment that day, I'd thought about Layla and what she must have been going through. Without me.**

"**Do you think something supernatural did it?" Dean asked, sitting down beside me.**

"**I don't know. Maybe he'd changed since I've been gone, but he wasn't like that."**

"**Well, we'll go and check it out after we're done here. And we'll figure it out. If anything weird happened, we'll find out and we'll deal with it. Remember, that's what we do." I nodded, but didn't look up at him, so he nudged me in the arm. "Hey," he said. "Smile."**

**It made me look up at him, but I still didn't smile. He turned towards me and kissed me on the lips quickly. It made my lips quirk a little bit, but I didn't fully smile.**

"**I think I'm gonna need a little bit more," I said, moving towards him and catching his mouth with my own. Before I knew it, we were falling on the bed, kissing _hungrily_. There was no other word for it.**

"**Uh, hey, I'm still in the room," I heard Sam say, almost disgustedly.**

**Dean broke away for a second and said, "you're always in the room," before returning to his previous actions: Driving me insane…with his mouth.**

**After a few more seconds, though, I pulled away out of respect for Sam. I stayed close to Dean; I didn't want to make him think I was rejecting him or something.**

"**At least one of you has the quality of common courtesy," Sam said, lying down in his own bed.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning, I was shaken awake by Dean; he seemed really tense and angry. Apparently, he'd gone to the library before me and Sam had woken up, and he'd found out that the symbols we'd seen were a part of some necromancy ritual. He thought Dr. Mason was responsible for it and he seemed to have a vendetta with the guy.**

**Dean was taking this case personally, which I got, because Dean had told me that he wished he'd stayed dead. People shouldn't mess with life or death.**

**And that's why we were at Dr. Mason's door, knocking, at nine o'clock in the morning. Dean looked about ready to kick the door in.**

"**Dean, we don't know that it's him," I said. "So, don't blow a gasket or something on this guy." Dean ignored me and knocked again.**

**This time, Dr. Mason opened the door; he was wearing a pajama set and a robe, like he'd just woken up, and he probably had. "You're Angie's friends, right?"**

"**Yes," I answered. "We were just-"**

"**We need to talk," Dean said bluntly, interrupting me. Apparently, I wasn't getting to the point quickly enough for him.**

"**Oh. Well, then, come in," he said, gesturing us inside. We stepped inside, into a little hallway, and Dean took a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Dr. Mason.**

"**You teach Ancient Greek. Tell me. What are these?" They were the symbols we'd found on Angela's grave.**

"**I don't understand," Dr. Mason said. "You said this had something to do with Angie." Actually we hadn't, but I guess he could tell from the way we were acting that it did.**

"**It does. Please, just humor me."**

**Dr. Mason looked at the paper again. "They're part of an ancient Greek divination ritual."**

**Dean nodded. "Used for necromancy, right?"**

"**That's right," Dr. Mason agreed. That's when I knew something wasn't right. If he'd done this, he wouldn't be helping us, not willingly.**

"**Uh-huh. See, before we came over here, I stopped by the library and did a little homework myself. Apparently, they used rituals like this for communicating with the dead. Even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action."**

**We'd reached the living room now. There wasn't anything special about it; typical living room. You had your sofa, your coffee table, a TV.**

"**Yeah. I mean, according to the legends," Dr. Mason said. "Now, what's all this about?"**

"**I think you know," Dean said, snatching the paper back. "Look, I get it, okay? There are people who I would give anything to see again. But what gives you the right?"**

"**Dean," Sam said loudly, warningly.**

"**What are you talking about?" Dr. Mason asked.**

"**What's dead should stay dead!" he was yelling now.**

"**Dean, stop it," I shouted, but he didn't listen.**

"**What you brought back isn't even your daughter anymore. These things are vicious, they're violent, they're so nasty they rot the ground around them. I mean, come on, haven't you seen _Pet Sematary_?"**

"**You're insane," Dr. Mason said.**

"**Where is she?" Dean asked heatedly.**

**Dr. Mason went around Dean to pick up the phone. "Get out of my house."**

**Dean yanked the phone out of the doctor's hands. "I know you're hiding her somewhere. Where is she?"**

**I turned around to tell Dean to stop, but I was distracted by flowers in the corner of the room. They weren't dead, which meant Angela wasn't here.**

"**Dean, that's enough," I said. He ignored me again. So I went to him and grabbed his arm, turning him around to look at the flowers. "See, beautiful, living plants." Dean clenched his jaw and yanked his arm from me-which stung a little-before turning to walk the other way.**

"**I'm calling the police," Dr. Mason warned.**

"**We're sorry," Sam said. "We're leaving. We won't bother you again." Sam and I left and we had to run to catch up with Dean. "What the hell is the matter with you, Dean?"**

"**Back off," Dean said.**

"**No," I responded. "That man didn't do this and he didn't deserve to be treated like that. So, whatever it is that's making you act this way, stop it."**

**Truth was, I knew what was causing him to act like this. He'd said it in Dr. Mason's house. _What's dead should stay dead_. It still upset him that he was alive and that John was dead, as he should be. But it wasn't his fault. I mean, it may have been because of him, but it wasn't Dean's fault.**

"**Ya know, you're lucky this turned out to be a real case, 'cause if it wasn't, you would've just found somethin' else to kill," Sam said. "I mean, you've on edge, you're erratic. Except for when you're hunting, 'cause then you're downright scary. You're tail-spinning, man. And you refuse to talk about it and you won't let me help you."**

"**I can take care of myself, thanks," Dean said.**

"**No, you can't," I said. "You can't do this by yourself, and you're the only one who thinks you should have to."**

**Dean stopped walking and turned to face me. "We better get out of her before the cops come." I glared at him and sighed impatiently. "Hey, I hear you, okay?" His tone softened and I looked at him expectantly. "Yeah, I'm being an ass, and I'm sorry, but right now we've got a freakin' zombie running around and we need to figure out how to kill it." I heard Sam scoff and Dean looked at him. "Right?"**

"**Our lives are weird, man."**

"**Yeah, you're tellin' me. Now, come on," Dean said, beginning to walk again. "We're gonna head back to the motel, do some research."**

"**We can't use movies as a reference guide?" I asked. "Ya know, like, _Night of The Living Dead_ or, um, _Resident Evil_?"**

"**_Resident Evil_ wasn't zombies. They were mutant humans created by a scientific experiment gone wrong," Dean said.**

"**Well, they weren't alive. They were dead and they were walking around. Also, not the friendliest people in town. They were zombies."**

**Sam shook his head at us, like he was astonished that we could talk about horror movies when we were basically living in one.**

**------------- -**

**Two hours and about fifteen websites later, we still didn't have anything concrete about how to kill a zombie.**

"**We can't just waste her with a headshot?" Dean asked.**

"**Dude, you've been watching way too many Romero flicks."**

"**You're telling me there's no lore on how to smoke 'em?"**

"**No, I'm telling you there's too much," Sam corrected. "I mean, there's a hundred different legends on the walking dead, but they all have different methods for killing them. Some say setting them on fire,, one said feeding their hearts to wild dogs. That's my personal favorite. Who knows what's real and what's myth?"**

"**Is there anything they all have in common?" I asked.**

"**No, but a few said silver might work."**

"**Silver's a start," Dean said. "Now, we've just gotta figure out who brought her back."**

"**The only other person I can think of is Neil," I said.**

"**Neil?" Sam asked. "How'd you come up with that?"**

**I shrugged. "He was in love with her. He couldn't have her when she was alive, so maybe he brought her back from the dead so he could have her now…all to himself."**

"**I don't know," Sam said hesitantly. "Just because he loved the girl doesn't mean he did this."**

"**He has access to all of Dr. Mason's books," I said. "Neil is his T.A.," I said, giving him more proof.**

"**Hm," Dean said, thoughtfully. "Solid." He stood up, grabbing his keys. "Let's go."**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Neil's house we knocked, but we didn't get an answer, so we picked the lock…in broad daylight. I hoped that didn't become a habit. It was easier for us to get caught if someone could actually _see_ what we were doing.**

"**Hello?" Dean called out when we stepped inside. "Neil?" No answer. "It's your grief counselors, we've come to hug!" No answer again. Neil either wasn't here or he was hiding. Dean took out a gun and I looked at him strangely.**

"**What's that for?"**

"**Silver bullets," he explained. "It'll make her rattle like a change purse."**

**We began looking around the house. We found dead plants in the living room, and we made our way to the kitchen, where there was a locked door.**

"**I bet this is where he keeps his porn," Dean said, before unlocking and opening the door.**

**Apparently, the doorway led to the basement, because there was a staircase leading down. There was a room fixed up; it was dark and dank, but there was a bed that looked like it had been recently used.**

"**Sure looks like a zombie pen to me," Dean said.**

"**Yeah. An empty one," Sam said. "You think Angela's going after somebody?"**

"**No. I think she went out to rent _Beaches_."**

**I rolled my eyes at Dean's sarcasm and began walking around the room. To the left of me I saw a vent-type window that was hanging loosely on one screw. "Guys," I called out. "I don't know where she went, but I know how she got out." I looked at the two guys in turn. "She might kill someone. We've gotta find her before that happens."**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "All right, she, uh, she clipped Matt because he was cheating, right?"**

"**Yeah," Sam and I said in unison.**

"**Well, it takes two to, ya know, have hardcore sex."**

"**Nice, Dean," I said. "What's your point?"**

"**I don't know, it just seemed that Angela's roommate was…broken up over Matt's death. I mean, like, _really_ broken up."**

**That was true. Lindsey, the roommate, had seemed to be more upset about Matt's death than she had about Angela's. "All right, well, then, we've gotta go. Angela's probably headed there right now."**

"**But it's daytime, wouldn't somebody notice her?" Sam asked.**

"**When does anybody who's not us ever notice anything?" I asked.**

"**Touché."**

**------------- -**

**When we'd gotten to Lindsey's, Angela was already there, but we'd saved Lindsey, so all was well in the world…almost. Angela had gotten away and the silver bullets hadn't done much except make Angela angrier, which wasn't good, considering she was angry enough already.**

**So we were on our way to talk to Neil and since he hadn't been at home, we were going to try the college, because, turns out, he had his own office.**

**Sam was looking through John's journal trying to find an alternative killing method for zombies. Because silver apparently didn't work.**

"**Um…okay, besides silver, we have nailing the undead back into their grave beds. It's mentioned a few times. It's probably where the whole vampire-staking lore came from."**

"**Their grave beds?" Dean asked incredulously. "You serious?" Sam nodded. "Well, how are we supposed to get her back to the cemetery?"**

"**You guys are good at making things up, so just pretend to know what you're talking about and improvise."**

"**Well, why don't you do it?" Sam asked me.**

"**Because I can't lie with a straight face," I responded.**

**When we got to Neil's office, we walked right in. He was sitting at his desk and grading a paper. But he looked up at us anyway. "What are you guys doin' here?"**

"**Ya know," Dean spoke up. "I've heard of some people doing some pretty desperate things to get laid, but you? You take the cake."**

"**Okay, who are you guys?" Neil asked.**

"**You might wanna ask Angela that question," Dean said.**

"**What?"**

"**We know what you did," Sam specified. "The ritual, everything."**

**Neil scoffed, but looked down guiltily. "You're crazy."**

**Dean leaned over Neil's desk. "Your girlfriend's past her expiration date and _we're_ crazy? When someone's gone, they should stay gone. You don't mess with that kind of stuff."**

"**Angela killed Matt. She-" I broke off. I felt a sort of twinge in my stomach. It was somewhat different than the chills I usually go when something weird was around, but it still felt _wrong_. "She tried to kill Lindsey," I finished. I wondered what the twinge was about. Angela had been in the room the whole time, I guess, and I was just starting to feel her.**

"**I don't know what you're talking about," Neil said.**

**Dean went behind the desk, grabbed him by the shirt, and yanked him out of his seat. "No more crap, Neil. This blood is on your hands. Now, we can make this right, but you've gotta tell us where she is." Dean shook him, when Neil refused to answer. "Tell us."**

"**My house," he whispered. "She's at my house."**

**Dean let him go and then looked at me for confirmation. I shook my head slightly, so Dean turned back to Neil. "You sure about that?" Neil nodded, but glanced over at a closed closet door. Dean looked like he had a light bulb moment and then he started speaking. "Listen, it doesn't really matter where she is. There's only one way to stop her. We've gotta perform another ritual over her grave to reverse the one that you did." Dean walked over to me and Sam. "We're gonna need some black roots some scarweed, some candles. It's very complicated, but it'll get the job done. She'll be dead again in a couple hours."**

**So he'd done it; Dean had made up a story like I'd told him to, and, by the look on Neil's face, I could tell he was buying it. Now all I had to do was work on keeping a straight face.**

"**Dean, he should come with us," I said softly. Then I realized it was rude talking about Neil like he wasn't there, so I turned to him. "You should come with us. Right now."**

**Neil looked down at his desk, shaking his head. "No."**

"**Neil, you-" I broke off. I didn't know what to say. Not without tipping Angela off…or setting her off.**

**Dean stepped forward, leaning on the desk again. "Listen to me," he said quietly. "Get out of here as soon as you can. But most of all, be cool. No sudden movements. And _don't_ make her mad." Dean turned to us. "Let's go." So we walked out the door.**

"**So, what do we do now?" I asked.**

"**We get to the cemetery and set everything up. I mean, it's almost dark and by the time we get there it will be."**

"**You really think this is gonna work?" Sam asked.**

"**No. Not really," Dean answered. "But it was the only thing I could come up with to get her to the cemetery."**

**I grabbed his hand. "I think you did good. Ha, better than I would've done." I sighed, almost disappointed. "She'll come for us, and then we'll…we'll kill her."**

"**Yeah," Dean said, catching my tone. "You sound like you're not completely on board with that."**

**I shrugged. We were almost at the car now. "No, I am. It's just, I feel sorry for her. I mean, she was a nice girl and this isn't her fault. She didn't ask to be brought back. It's not something she did, it's something that was done _to_ her."**

"**Yeah, but more people will die if we let her live," Sam said.**

"**I know that," I said softly. "Which is why I know we have to do this. Doesn't mean I have to like it."**

**Dean wrapped his arm around my waist, hugging me to him. "No, it doesn't…and you wouldn't be Alyson Daniels if you did." He kissed the side of my head and squeezed gently at my side as we reached the car. Then he let me go so I could get in.**

**------------- -**

**Dean had been right. By the time we got to the cemetery, it was dark. They had to dig up her grave again. It wasn't too hard this time because the dirt wasn't as tightly packed as it had been the first time. I could use my hands to dig up some of the dirt.**

"**All right, so here's how it's gonna play out," Dean started. "When she gets here, Sam is gonna lead her here, and then one of us is gonna shoot her and the other's gonna stab her."**

"**I'll shoot," I said, raising my had, because I definitely didn't want to stab her.**

"**Okay, so, you follow a few seconds after Sam, hide behind something, wait until you have a clear shot and then take it." He handed me a gun. "It's fully loaded. Use all the bullets if you have to."**

"**Got it," I said.**

"**Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked. "I mean, she looks human."**

"**Yeah, I know. But I can do it." I hoped.**

**A few minutes later, we heard a noise coming from the trees surrounding the cemetery. Sam took a gun out of his jeans and stood up, moving forward, looking around. I followed after him, like I was supposed to, but branched off in my own direction to hide behind a tombstone.**

**About thirty seconds after that, I heard a gunshot and then Sam was running past me with Angela right behind him. He was leading her to her grave. No pun intended. I took the safety off my gun and stood up just in time to see Angela latch onto Sam's back, making him fall to the ground.**

**I shot at her, hitting her in the back, making her tumble forwards. Sam rolled out of the way and I fired three more shots in Angela's direction, each one striking her in the chest.**

**She stumbled into the coffin-her coffin-and Dean ran towards the hole, sliding in with a silver pike-looking thing.**

**I heard her scream and watched as Dean stabbed her with the thing and then all was silent. I saw that Sam was still on the ground and I went to help him up, but he was cradling his right wrist in his left arm. "You okay?"**

"**I think I broke it."**

"**Ouch," I said sympathetically. "Sorry."**

"**Not your fault."**

**I grabbed onto his left elbow and pulled him to his feet. Dean climbed out of the grave and started putting dirt back into the hole.**

"**I should go help," he said.**

"**No," I said firmly. "You should stay here and not risk hurting yourself further." I went forward, Sam following me. I beat him to the shovel, but he didn't object. He listened to me and didn't try to help.**

"**You know the whole fake ritual thing, luring Angela into the cemetery? Pretty sharp," Sam complimented.**

"**Thanks," Dean said.**

"**But did we have to use me as bait?"**

"**I figured you were more her type," Dean said, grinning. "She had pretty crappy taste in guys."**

**I shook my head. "Dean, be nice. I think his wrist is broken."**

**Dean stopped shoveling and looked in Sam's direction. "We'll get it looked at later."**

**And with that, Dean and I continued covering the grave.**

**------------- -**

**By the time we'd finished filling the hole with dirt, I was tired. So I fell asleep in the backseat, but was woken up when I heard the car door shut.**

**I sat up and looked around. We were parked on the side of the road near a green, but rocky, mountain scenery. Dean and Sam were standing outside the car, Dean leaning on the hood, Sam standing beside him.**

**I didn't get out of the car. If Dean had wanted me to know what he was going to do or say, he would've woken me up. So I stayed seated there until the car bounced, Dean getting off the hood. He stood up, making like he was going to get back in the driver seat, but then the tossed Sam the keys and he got in the backseat with me, which surprised me. Half because he'd never done that before, and half because Sam's wrist was hurt, possibly broken.**

**I saw that he had tears in his eyes. I was on one side, he was on the other. Before I could move towards him, he was curling up in the backseat, head on my lap. He was in the fetal position, legs curled up near his stomach; he couldn't have been comfortable, but it appeared to be what he needed at the time. I began stroking the side of his head, stopping at the base of his neck, over and over again.**

**Before long, he was asleep, and I was just lost. I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. I didn't think there was anything I _could_ do. Except be there for him. I just hoped that was enough.**


	7. Going Home Part One

**Going Home  
Part One**

**We'd reached San Francisco in record time and we ended up at the hospital because Layla hadn't been at her house. Dean had dropped me off at Ms. Stevens room and had told me that he and Sam would be in the waiting room. He told me to take as much time as I needed.**

**So I was now in the room with Layla and her mom. Ms. Stevens had a broken shoulder and a few fractured ribs. They were mostly keeping her there for observational purposes only. Apparently, one of her ribs had punctured a lung. They'd reset the rib and they'd done emergency surgery to save the lung and they were keeping her there to make sure there were no complications.**

**Layla had a bruise on her jaw and I assumed that was when Ms. Stevens had stepped in, because there didn't appear to me anymore physical trauma. No, it was mostly emotional.**

"**I don't know what to say," I whispered. "I'd say I'm sorry, but that sounds sorta lame, considering what happened."**

"**You don't have to say anything," Layla said. "You came, and that's all that matters." She said it like she hadn't thought that I would come.**

"**I'm glad you came," Ms. Stevens said kindly. "Now, maybe Layla will go home and get some rest. She hasn't left my side since I got out of surgery."**

"**I didn't want to stay at home by myself."**

**I got that. If that was where her dad had attacked them, I wouldn't have wanted to stay there either if I was her.**

"**One of us will be back in the morning, Ms. Stevens," I promised. "You shouldn't be alone either."**

"**I'm fine, dear," she said. "You and Layla should spend time together. Don't worry about me."**

"**Hey, you're like a second mother to me. We're gonna take care of you."**

**That brought tears to her eyes, and I felt mine fill up as well. I blinked them away before she could see them.**

"**Good-bye, Mom. I'll see you in the morning."**

**We walked out of the room. I led her to the waiting room where the guys had said they'd be, but was surprised when only Dean was there.**

"**Where's Sam?"**

"**I figured since we're at the hospital, he should get his wrist checked out."**

**Oh, right. Sam had hurt his wrist; I'd forgotten. He hadn't complained much that it was hurting, so it hadn't been hard to forget that it had possibly been broken.**

"**Oh, okay." I looked at Layla. "You remember Dean, right?"**

"**Yeah, he's the only who changed your tire." She paused. "And Sam is the freakishly tall one."**

**I grinned. "That's one way to put it." I sobered up pretty quickly. "You know, we don't have to go to your house if you don't want to. We could-we could get a motel room or something."**

**Layla looked like she was considering it, but then she shook her head. "No, it'll be easier to just go to my house…and cheaper."**

"**Hey," I said softly. "Money is not an issue. If you don't feel comfortable staying there, we don't have to. I'll pay for everything."**

**She shook her head again, adamantly. "No, I'm good. I just don't want to be there alone."**

"**And you won't be," I said reassuringly. "I'll be there with you." I looked at Dean and then back at Layla. "And, um, I know you don't know them, but can Sam and Dean come too?" She didn't have to say yes. I would stay with her either way. I _owed_ her that.**

**Layla shrugged. "They're protecting you, aren't they?"**

"**Well…yeah."**

"**Then they're coming," she said simply.**

**------------- -**

**Sam had gotten an x-ray done on his wrist and had found out that it was, indeed, fractured. They'd sent him to the orthopedics ward to get a cast put on and then we'd gone to Layla's house.**

**I'd ridden with Layla in what used to be my car. It had felt weird, though. It wasn't the Impala, and Sam and Dean weren't there. I hadn't brought up what had happened because, if our roles had been reversed, I wouldn't have wanted to talk about it. Not right away. I figured Layla would talk when she was ready; I wasn't gonna push her.**

**Layla was the type of person who wouldn't open up unless it was on her own terms. If you poked and prodded, it would make her clam right up and it would take even longer for her to tell you anything.**

**So the four of us were now in Layla's living room, sitting there awkwardly. It seemed like neither of us knew what to say. I didn't want to start out by asking what she'd been up to because that would sound insensitive…and I didn't want to ask how she was because it was apparent that, physically, she was mostly fine. Emotionally, it was a different story.**

**And Layla wasn't gonna share anything while Sam and Dean were around, I knew that much. I looked over at Dean and nodded slightly at the staircase. He got the message. I wanted him and Sam to let me talk to Layla by myself.**

"**Ya know, I'm tired," Dean said. He looked at Sam, meaningfully. "What do you say we let these two catch up?"**

**It took a few seconds for Sam to catch on, but then a look of realization came over his face. "Oh! Yeah, sure."**

**They both stood up and looked at me. I realized they didn't know where they were supposed to go, so I stood up also. "Layla, I'll be right back. Guest rooms are still the same?" Layla nodded, so I went to Dean and grabbed his hand, leading him to the staircase. Sam followed.**

**I led them to two different room; Sam first and then Dean. I stood at the doorway with him for a few minutes. "I'm, um, gonna stay with her until she falls asleep, but I'll come back after, okay?"**

**Dean nodded, bringing his hand up to cup my face. "Are you okay?"**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**Being back here…" he specified, removing his hand.**

"**Oh. It's weird. I don't really mind being back here, but the circumstances suck."**

**Dean smiled a little, pulling me closer, pressing his lips to mine. I opened my mouth to him, making myself forget what I was supposed to be doing and where I even was. But, all too soon, I remembered where we were and broke our kiss. I don't know if it was the kiss itself, or if Dean knew the affect he had on me, but he was grinning, leaning his forehead against mine.**

"**You should get back downstairs, huh?" he suggested.**

"**I really should." I kissed him again, quickly this time. "Good night," I said.**

"**Night."**

**------------- -**

**When I got back downstairs, I saw that Layla wasn't in the living room anymore, so I called out to her. I didn't get an answer.**

**Turns out, she was in the kitchen. She was just standing in the middle of the floor, not moving or speaking.**

"**Layla?" She didn't respond. "Layla, are you okay?"**

"**This is where it happened," she said, no emotion in her voice. It was like she was an automaton…but I didn't need her to clarify what she was talking about. I already knew.**

"**My mom stabbed him when he attacked me." Her voice was still mechanical, like maybe this was the first time she'd thought about it since it had happened. "I'd just gotten home from school. You know, I'm going to the community college, so I live here." She paused, looking up at me. Her eyes betrayed the emotions she was feeling; lost, scared, and confused. "I don't know what happened," she confessed. "We were happy…I _thought_ we were happy."**

"**Did something set him off?" I asked.**

**Layla shrugged, coming towards me. "I don't know. I walked in, heard my mom screaming. I ran in here and saw her on the floor." She had tears in her eyes now. "My dad was kicking her, beating her."**

**She moved to go out of the kitchen and I followed after her. She sat down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. "Alyson, I don't know _why_."**

**I sat down beside her and wrapped my arms around her. "Oh, honey, the why doesn't matter right now. The only thing that matters is that your relatively okay." Neither of us said anything for a while and I knew that that conversation was over.**

**When she resumed talking, it wasn't about her. She stayed away from that topic. "So, are you happy?"**

"**In general? Yeah." I thought about my life now and realized that there wasn't much I could share with her. "Sam and Dean…they're teaching me to do what they do. And I'm pretty good at it. Surprisingly."**

"**And what is it that they do?"**

"**Help people…save lives."**

**She looked down at the floor. "Oh. They saved you?"**

**I remembered I hadn't told her that, so I didn't blame her for asking. "Yeah," I said quietly. "They did. They _are_."**

**Layla nodded. "And, you and Dean, you're…together?"**

**I blushed, but didn't look away. "Yeah, um, for about a month now." A sudden thought came to my mind. "Are _you_ seeing someone?"**

**She scoffed. "Someone from around here? You know the guys here. They're obnoxious."**

**I grinned a little; that much was true. That's why I'd never gone out with any of them. Not to mention the strong lack of interest I'd had towards them.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning I woke up-well, it was more like afternoon, really-and found that Layla had gone to the hospital already and that she'd come pick me up if I called her.**

**I didn't know yet whether or not I wanted to. Part of me wanted to go to the hospital, but another part of me-the part that hated seeing Ms. Stevens in the hospital bed-didn't.**

**Dean wasn't with me when I woke up, but it didn't bother me too much. I mean, it was after twelve-which surprised me because I hadn't slept that late in a long time-and I couldn't expect him to wait around all day. He was probably around here somewhere, maybe raiding the fridge or something.**

**God, I hoped he wasn't raiding the fridge, but Dean would so do that and, goodness help me, I found it endearing.**

**I sat up and ran my hands through my hair, which was pretty much a rat's nest; I must have tossed and turned all night. Maybe being back here was harder than I thought.**

**I got up, looked at myself-I was wearing a tank top and shorts-and decided the only thing I needed to do was brush my hair. When I was done, I went downstairs and found Dean and Sam on the couch. They weren't wearing their happy faces**

"**Oh no. What happened?" I asked, sitting down on the arm of the sofa.**

"**I think we know what happened," Dean said.**

"**We found sulfur on one of the windowsills in the kitchen," Sam said.**

"**Sulfur? But that means a demon was here." I paused. "Do you think it was _the_ demon?" I asked. "Because if it was him, then this is _my_ fault."**

"**Hey," Dean said, putting his hand on my knee. "We don't know anything for sure, okay? I mean, all demons leave sulfur behind, not just that one."**

**I nodded. "All right, so what do we do? I mean, apparently, Layla's dad was possessed, but a demon doesn't have to leave the body just 'cause it's dead. So why did it?"**

"**Well, we don't know that it did," Sam said softly. "Maybe it was faking, it could have been faking."**

"**Okay, well, we need to find out for sure, because we don't need some demon walking around wearing Mr. Stevens body. Layla couldn't handle it if she saw him. I don't think _I_ could handle it."**

**------------- -**

**Layla came to get me around two. I went with her while Sam and Dean went sleuthing. Layla said that her mom would be able to go home within a day or two. Her breathing was normal, if not a little painful, but she was healthy and that was what mattered.**

**So we were in the Civic, driving to the hospital and I decided to bring up what had happened even though I knew it would hurt her.**

"**Hey, uh, were you telling me the whole story last night? You know, about your dad."**

"**What do you mean?" She asked cautiously.**

"**It's just…it was kinda sudden, wasn't it?" I hesitated before continuing. "You said your family was happy. The way you put it, it sounds like he just snapped." I hated doing this to her, making her relive the whole thing.**

**Layla shrugged. "Maybe he did." From the sound of her voice, I could tell that she didn't believe that.**

**I sighed as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Layla, if something else happened, you can tell me. Even if it may seem weird." That was rich, coming from me. I hadn't told her _anything_ when my mom had died.**

"**I know that." Layla parked the car and turned towards me. "I just-I don't wanna talk about it…so, please, don't make me."**

**I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want. It's just, um, you know, when I found my mom…I saw things that didn't make sense to me at the time. And if anything like that happened to you…I might be able to help."**

**Layla took the keys out of the ignition and opened her door. "We should get to my mom. I told her I'd be back shortly with you." Way to avoid the subject…but at least now I knew that she had, in fact, seen something.**

**When we got up to Ms. Stevens room, she was flipping through the TV channels, looking extremely bored and a little agitated. So I asked what was wrong.**

"**The doctor won't let me go home," she said, sounding like a disappointed child.**

**I smiled fondly at her. "I'm sure it's for your own good."**

"**I can heal just as easily at home." Physically, maybe, but emotionally, probably not.**

**------------- -**

**It didn't matter how fine Ms. Stevens thought she was, it didn't stop her from going to sleep…it happened in little spurts. She'd sleep for fifteen minutes and then she'd wake up, gasping, and hurting her ribs and shoulder in the process. Maybe the doctors weren't keeping her here only for observational purposes; maybe it was because she couldn't sleep on her own.**

**I hadn't thought about it before, but she'd killed her husband. I mean, she hadn't had a choice, but she'd still killed him. She was probably having nightmares and would for a long time to come.**

**And compared to Layla and Ms. Stevens, I'd gotten off easy. At least I hadn't had to kill my mother. If that had been the case, I probably would have died because I wouldn't have been able to do it.**

**Layla and I left when visiting hours were over. I hadn't brought up what had happened. In fact, we hadn't talked much at all. Not about that, anyway. Ms. Stevens had asked about me and what I'd been doing. Then she'd talked about how proud of Layla she was. Layla was going to school to be a doctor. I wondered whether or not she'd still want to be one after spending so much time at the hospital.**

**Layla said she needed to go to the grocery store, so that's what we were doing now. Shopping. She was just absentmindedly putting stuff in the cart. Unless her tastes had changed, she was picking out stuff she didn't need or even like.**

"**Since when do you like asparagus?" I asked gently.**

"**What?" She hadn't been paying attention to what she'd been doing.**

**I reached into the car and picked the vegetable can up. "Asparagus?"**

"**Oh. I don't eat them," she shrugged. "I guess I'm out of it."**

"**That's okay. Just wait here, I'll go put it back." She nodded her consent and I took the can back and placed it on the shelf it belonged on.**

"**Alyson?" an oddly familiar male voice said from behind me. "Alyson Daniels?"**

**I turned to where the voice was coming from. Rickie Anderson, a boy I'd gone to school with, was standing there. He was about five-nine, had blue eyes, and blond hair. Apparently, he worked at the store because he had on an outfit that had the store's name on the shirt.**

"**Rickie." I wasn't too enthused and I hoped he didn't get offended. "Hi."**

**Rickie had been one of the guys who'd asked me out-and that I'd turned down-and really, he'd been a nice, if not annoying, guy. I just hadn't been interested. Apparently, his feelings hadn't changed, because he was checking me out, his eyes traveling up and down my body. He was making me kind of uncomfortable.**

"**I haven't seen you in a while. Not since…" he trailed off, not wanting to bring up bad memories. "Anyway, you're lookin' good."**

"**Um, thanks. I guess." I looked at his outfit again. "So, you work here. That's new."**

"**Yeah, working and going to school." He'd graduated the year I had. I guess he was going to college now. "Are you staying for a while?"**

"**That's a good question," I said. "But probably not. A few days, maybe, but then I'll be gone."**

"**Oh." He seemed a little disappointed. "Well, maybe before you go we could catch a movie or something."**

**I sighed. "Look, Rickie…I have a boyfriend now, so…I can't. And I'm here for Layla, I'm not here to date." I wasn't being mean, just firm. I didn't want him following me around like a little puppy dog while I was here. "I'm sorry," I said, turning to go back to Layla, but he matched his pace with mine.**

"**You have a boyfriend?" I nodded. "Is it serious?"**

**I bit my tongue to stop myself from telling him it was none of his business. "Depends on your meaning."**

"**Have you been with him long?"**

"**Um…I've known him for a while, but we've only been together for a month. I _love_ him" This is part of the reason I'd never gone out with him. He continued to push and push.**

"**Does he love you?" We were at Layla's cart now. "I mean, does he return the feelings?"**

"**We haven't really talked about it," I muttered, looking at the floor. That question had gotten to me, because I honestly didn't know whether or not Dean did return my feelings. I knew he _cared_ about me; I didn't know if he loved me. Sometimes it seemed like he did; at other times it seemed like he didn't.**

"**Hey, Rickie," Layla said and he nodded in her direction before turning back to me.**

"**Well, then it can't be _that_ serious," he said quietly.**

"**Hm. Do you make a habit out of terrorizing your customers?" I asked sarcastically.**

"**Wow," Layla said, catching on. "She's only been back a day and a half and you're already asking her out?"**

**Rickie grinned. "Hey, a guy's gotta try, right?"**

**I groaned inwardly. "I wish you wouldn't," I said seriously. I turned to Layla. "Are we almost done?" Rickie was bugging me and I wanted to hurry up and get out of there.**

"**Wait, is she staying with you?" he asked Layla.**

"**For a few days," she answered. "So is her boyfriend." I grinned. _Thank_ _you_, _Layla_. She looked at me. "And, yes, we're almost done."**

"**Well, good," I said, relief lacing my voice. "Bye, Rickie."**

"**Yeah. I'll see ya. I might swing by to visit you tomorrow or somethin'."**

**I rolled my eyes. "I'm busy tomorrow."**

"**I just wanna meet your boyfriend. Make sure he's treating you right."**

**The image of Dean towering over Rickie was almost enough to make me agree to let him meet Dean, but then I thought better of it. I didn't need this right now.**

**I turned to face Rickie. "He treats me just fine, thank you," I said through clenched teeth. "And, ya know, I tried to be nice to you because I know you have this little crush on me, but _give it a rest_." Hurt crossed over his face and I immediately felt bad for being hard on him. But, you know, I was already venting so why stop there. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a relationship. He's important to me and he cares about me enough to kick your ass if I asked him to," I said the last part calmly, "which I won't, as long as you _back off_."**

**Layla looked at me, a mixture of shock and amusement on her face. She may have looked a little impressed, too.**

**Rickie was mostly stunned, maybe a little hurt, but my words did the job. "Wow. I guess I went about this the wrong way." I nodded my agreement. "I'm sorry. I can see now that it's obviously none of my business. So I'm gonna get back to work."**

"**Thank you," I said softly, my anger in check, now that he was walking away.**

"**Where did _that_ come from?" Layla asked. "I mean, he hit on you for years and you never let him have it like that."**

"**I didn't have a boyfriend then," I stated simply. "He was planning on coming over to your house-where Dean is-and he would've ended up causing static where this isn't any." I took a deep breath and then a thought popped into my head. "Hey, what time is it?" I really hadn't needed to ask. I had a watch and a cell phone, so I looked. 9:30. "Dean is probably worried." I dialed his number on the phone and waited for him to answer.**

"**Yeah?" was his answer.**

"**Hey, just wanted to call and check in."**

"**Where are you? At the hospital?"**

"**No, Layla needed to go grocery shopping, so we're at the store. We're almost done. I just, uh, I know how you worry, so…"**

**I heard him laugh a little. "Yeah. Well, I'm glad you called. Thirty more minutes and I'd have called out a search party," he said jokingly, but I could here the underlying worry that I had known would be there.**

**I smiled slightly. "Or you could've, I don't know, called?" I suggested.**

"**Yeah, but that would've made sense."**

"**Oh, and we can't have that, huh?"**

"**No," he said simply. "Anyway, uh, Sam and I, we think that Mr. Stevens was possessed, but the demon left the body on its own."**

**I glanced in Layla's direction to see if she was listening in or not. She was getting Doritos and putting them in the cart. "Can that happen?" I asked quietly.**

"**Yeah. If the demon didn't need him anymore, it would let him go."**

**I sighed. Wow. "Okay, well, we can talk about this later, right?"**

"**Yeah, sure."**

"'**Kay, thanks. I'll see ya soon." We both hung up and I realized Layla and I were in the cookie section. "So, when did you become such a junk food junkie?"**

"**Since I realized how hard college was gonna be."**

**I shook my head, snickering. "What, does it make you smarter?"**

"**No, but it gives me a reason to stay up late…other than homework."**

**On our way to the check out counter, we passed by a shelf of little square boxes filled with pie, which automatically made me think of Dean, so I picked one up. It was apple, but they had cherry, too. I couldn't decide which one to get, so I got both of them.**

**------------- -**

**When we got back to Layla's house, I helped her put the stuff up in its rightful place. Dean was watching me-he must have been bored-put things away. When I offered him the pie his eyes lit up like he was a kid at a birthday party.**

"**For me?" he asked.**

"**Who else?" I teased. "I saw it and thought about you, so…"**

**He grinned, putting the pie on the counter, and pulled me towards him. "I guess that deserves a thank you," he said softly.**

"**Does it?" I whispered.**

"**Oh yeah." His lips met mine and my world slipped away. Dean was intoxicating and I was definitely under the influence. But I didn't care. He was the one thing I didn't mind losing myself in or getting addicted to.**

"**_Ahem_," Layla cleared her throat, but she seemed amused. I pulled away from Dean slightly. "You two are still in the kitchen, you know. Maybe you need to get a room."**

"**_Layla_!" I was shocked that she'd said that. She knew I blushed easily and got embarrassed easier than that.**

"**What? You look like you two could use a room for the night. Or maybe for a long weekend."**

"**You know, I'm suddenly deciding that this is none of your business," I said playfully. I looked up at Dean, who was looking back and forth between me and Layla, smiling widely. "You think that's funny?"**

"**I think it's hilarious," he said, wrapping his arms around me, kissing my forehead. "Anyway, I'm going to be in the living room, enjoying my pie."**

**Layla handed him a fork and then he was off. "He must really love pie. That was quite a thank you he gave you."**

**I felt my face heat up again. "Can we change the subject?"**

**Layla shrugged. "If you want to. Although I'm having fun tormenting you. I mean, it _is_ the best friend's job, right?"**

"**Yeah, but you're abusing the privilege," I said. "Please, let's talk about something else other than my sex life…or lack thereof."**

**She grinned, but acquiesced to my request. "Fine." Her grin faded. "Okay, on a more serious note…what did you mean about not being able to explain the things you saw when you found your mom?" From the tone of her voice I could tell she was being cautious, like she didn't know whether of not she was treading on dangerous waters; whether it was safe to bring this up or not.**

**I took a deep breath. "You're not gonna like it," I stated. She nodded. "Okay, well, do you want the whole story or the abridged version?"**

"**Start from the beginning," she said.**

"**Okay, uh, well, you knew there was a guy there, right? The one who killed my mom." She nodded for me to continue. "All right, here's where it gets strange. And you're either gonna believe me or kick me out of your house head first for being crazy. That's why I didn't tell you before, because you'd think I was insane. And I probably wouldn't be telling you now if I didn't think you were going through the same thing." I realized I was rambling on and on, so I stopped, taking a few calming breaths.**

"**Tell me what?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"**

"**The man that was there…he did things that weren't humanly possible. He, uh…he appeared and disappeared out of thin air. I mean, I guess you could chalk it all up to me being traumatized if you wanted to, but I know what I saw. And this guys eyes…they were yellow. Like a fiery-yellow."**

**Layla blinked a few times, taking that in. "You're right, that does sound crazy."**

"**Layla, were your dad's eyes yellow?" She shook her head. "Black?"**

**She froze where she stood. "How did you know that?" Then she changed her question. "What happened to him? Why were they black?"**

**Oh, God. "I'd give anything not to have to tell you this, not to have you pulled into my world, but you're dad…he was possessed."**

**Layla looked at me like I had two heads…with antlers growing out of each of them. "Possessed? Like, by the devil, possessed?"**

"**By a demon, but same concept, yeah." Layla turned pale in the face and looked like she was about to topple over. "Hey, breathe," I commanded, grabbing her and taking her over to one of the chairs at the table.**

"**My dad wasn't possessed, because it's not real." She was near hysterics. "My dad probably just went crazy or something. He got angry and he just snapped."**

"**How do you explain the black eyes, then?" I asked gently.**

"**My mind was playing tricks on me. It's a defense mechanism. You see something that's too big for you to understand or deal with and your mind fixes it to where it will. I didn't want to believe that my dad would do something like that, so my mind made him into a monster."**

"**Then how did I know about the color of his eyes?" She didn't answer. "And maybe there was black smoke involved, too?"**

**She looked up at me, shocked. "I didn't tell anyone about that. _How_ do you know all this?"**

"**It's what I do. I mean, there are things out there that most people couldn't even imagine. Sam, Dean, and I…we fight them. And I'm sorry that this happened, but if you can believe me, just a little, then we can help you."**

**Here it was, the moment of truth. The moment that decided whether or not I'd get to help her, whether or not she'd continue to let me stay here.**

"**Okay," she said, nodding. "I still think it's crazy, but okay. I'll cooperate."**

"**Good," I whispered. "That's good."**

**Now we just needed to find out _why_ Layla's dad had been possessed, and why it had left the body after Mr. Stevens had died.**

* * *

Hey, people. So, this is the first chapter of probably two-for now anyway- that doesn't follow directly with the show and doesn't belong to an episode. So anyway, let me know what you think. PLEASE? :)


	8. Going Home Part Two

**Flight815Down: I'm glad you like the storyline, I didn't know whether or not the readers would. And I think the character interactions are important, too. They can make or break a story, so I'm glad you like them and think they're realistic. And, actually, those episodes you mentioned I already have plot bunnies hopping around in my head for. LOL. As well as with the whole Hell thing. Poor Dean, the dude never gets a break, huh? One bad thing after another. But that's why I like him so much. He's so damaged you just wanna give him some TLC, ya know?**

**Anyway, I'm putting a warning on this chapter. Maybe should be 15 for some of this because it gets pretty dark. There's some torture in this chapter. Extremely painful, but I don't think it's too graphic. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks. :)**

**Going Home  
Part Two**

**After Layla had told me that she'd cooperate, she'd told me she was gonna go to bed, so she left the kitchen. I doubted she would go to sleep; she'd probably lay there thinking about what I'd said.**

**I went into the living room and saw Dean eating some of the pie that I'd bought. Sam wasn't there, so I assumed he was already in bed. "Is it good?" I asked, sitting on the sofa.**

"**Mm-hm," he said enthusiastically.**

**I laughed and shook my head. "You're a nut," I said teasingly. "Anyway, Layla's gonna cooperate." I was being serious now. "She saw black smoke coming out of her dad."**

"**Wow," he said. "Did you tell her what it was?"**

"**Yeah. I think she doesn't wanna believe it, but she's gonna let us help her."**

**Dean nodded, swallowing the bite of pie he had in his mouth. "Did she say anything else?"**

"**No. I figured we could talk about it tomorrow when she wakes up."**

"**Good idea."**

"**Of course it's a good idea. I came up with it," I said before smiling widely his way.**

"**That's cute," he said smartly. "Really."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, hurry up and finish eating your pie. I want to go to bed."**

"**What does my pie have to do with that?" he asked. "You can't sleep by yourself?"**

"**I don't want to," I said quietly. "I sleep better when you're with me."**

**His eyes softened and I knew I had him. "Well, why don't you go on up and get ready and I'll be there in a minute."**

"**Sure thing," I said, standing up and going towards the stairs. I looked back and realized that Dean was heading to the kitchen; he was probably putting the remaining pie in the fridge.**

**Suddenly, I felt wrong. The chills again, not the weird stomach thing that had happened with the Angela-zombie. Something was here.**

"**Dean!" I called out, letting him know something was wrong. I began running up to Layla's room. "Layla?" I said, opening the door and going in. She was on the bed, seemingly asleep. I got closer to make sure she was breathing and, suddenly, something grabbed me from behind. I felt a twinge in my neck, sorta like a pinch, and then a tug behind my navel, kind of like when you're going downhill. My world faded to black.**

**------------- -**

**When I woke up, I couldn't tell where I was at first. I know it was dark, save for a few candles spread throughout the room. It looked like a cellar, but I couldn't be sure.**

**The next thing I noticed was that I was spread-eagled on the floor, my hands and feet strapped into a pair of manacles that were screwed into the floor. But I couldn't have moved even if I had wanted to because whatever had pierced my neck-a needle probably-was making me woozy and weak. It had probably been some kind of local anesthetic.**

**I knew I wasn't alone. I could sense that whatever had been in Layla's room was here, but it seemed stronger, somehow.**

"**Well, I was wondering when the drugs were gonna wear off." I didn't say anything. My mouth was dry and it tasted funny. I assumed it was from the drugs. "It's nice of you to finally join us."**

**Us? That meant there was more than one demon here. I was surprised my mouth wasn't taped or stuffed with a cloth. Maybe they knew no one would hear me here…or maybe they were just overconfident.**

"**Do you know why you are here?" a different voice asked. A female voice. But I didn't answer. Suddenly, she was standing over me. She didn't lean down, but she wasn't that much above me. It was then that I realized that I was on a table, not the floor. It felt like the floor. She grabbed my face. "You'll answer when spoken to," she demanded, but I still didn't respond. That made her squeeze my jaw harder, so hard that I winced with pain. "Let's try again, shall we?" she asked sweetly. "Do you know why you're here?"**

"**No," I said, clenching my teeth together. "Unless it's just 'cause you wanna kill me."**

**The male voice said, "well, there is that." He was now standing over me, too. "But do you know why you're _here_ in this town?"**

**I shook my head, my vision blurring. I wasn't sure because I couldn't see clearly from whatever he'd dosed me with, but I thought I knew this guy. He had on a white lab coat. He worked at the hospital. Probably the same one Ms. Stevens was in right now.**

"**Well, if you think about it, it's kind of poetic," the man said. "It began in this town-your abilities-and it's gonna end in this town." He picked up a knife from somewhere. I couldn't see where because there was hardly any light in this room. He brought it to my face and slowly slid it down to my neck. The blade didn't break my skin, he was pressing hard enough, but that could have changed at any moment.**

"**Did yellow-eyes send you?" I asked. As long as they were keeping me alive I wanted to know why they were doing this, aside from the obvious.**

"**Ah, Azazel. No, he didn't. But I'm afraid we agree with what he was trying to do to you. We can't allow you to live," the woman said. I didn't recognize her, but she looked like she was wearing an outfit that a school teacher would wear.**

"**Why?" I asked. "I'm not a threat to you." Really, I wasn't. I couldn't hurt them. All I could do was heal myself. And I didn't even know _how_ I did that.**

"**You're not yet," a third voice said. Oh, how many were there. And this voice sounded familiar, too. I'd heard it just a few hours ago. Rickie. He must have gotten possessed after I'd yelled at him at the store. "But you would be if we let you live." He came to stand over me on the opposite side of the other two.**

"**Rickie?"**

**His eyes flashed black before turning back to their original blue. "Rickie doesn't live here anymore," he said. "Well, technically, he's still here, it's just that I'm the one at the wheel."**

"**I can't hurt you," I repeated. "I know everyone thinks I can, but I can't. So let me go."**

"**No," the doctor-demon said. "Because, you see, he's quite right. You may not be able to now, you may not be strong enough yet, but if we allowed you to live, one day you'd be able to turn us to dust without even batting an eyelash. Your touch would be able to burn a demon out of someone. You'd be able to kill a demon. Not exorcise it, not send it back to hell, but actually destroy it. Then soon after that, you wouldn't even have to touch the demon…you could will it out of the body just by thinking it."**

**I shook my head. "That's impossible." He pressed the blade into my neck and I flinched when I felt the cut appear. But then, instantly, the pain was gone.**

"**Some would say _that's_ impossible." He sounded impressed, maybe, that the cut had actually healed. "But…you know, you're not supposed to die yet. Not by our hands, anyway." I stayed silent and the knife traveled down to my stomach, where he pressed the knife into my side, breaking the skin. It didn't hurt that bad at first, but then he continued pushing and I could feel the knife going deeper and deeper into my body. I couldn't help it; I screamed.**

**------------- -**

**It had been a few minutes since I'd woken up-or maybe it had been a few hours. I honestly didn't know. The only thing I cared about was that there was a knife sticking out of my side and that I was bleeding out, getting weaker and weaker by the second.**

**Every time I'd get close to blacking out, the school teacher-demon would twist the knife a little, sending a jolt of pain through my body, making me wake up fully.**

"**I thought you said…I wasn't supposed to die yet," I said weakly.**

"**Things change," the Rickie-demon said. "But you're right. You're not supposed to. Not yet. As we said earlier, we're not the ones who are meant to kill you."**

**The she-demon pulled the knife out of my side and I let out a yelp of pain. It took a second for me to realize that the pain wasn't fading as fast as it normally did. I wasn't healing as fast. That probably had something to do with the fact that half my blood was dripping onto the table and falling onto the floor. Blood was life, after all.**

"**In fact," the she-demon said, "you know the person who's meant to kill you. You're actually friends with him. Sam Winchester."**

"**What?" I whispered. Sam would never hurt me, let alone kill me. "Oh, you're insane."**

**The doctor-demon shook his head. "No, you're just uninformed."**

"**What are you talking about?" I was fully alert for the first time since the knife had dug into me. He took the knife from the woman-demon and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to come, but let out a breath of relief when it didn't. My side wasn't fully healed, but I could feel it sealing itself up from the inside out. My body was trying to make me better. It was trying very hard.**

**I opened my eyes and looked at the doctor-demon. "What were you talking about?"**

"**Sam's abilities come from a very dark place. There's even talk that he's the Anti-Christ. I mean, he has abilities he's never even dreamed of." He paused, picking something else up. It was a scalpel. He pressed it near the place where the knife had gone in. "But your abilities, they're the direct opposite. They come from, I guess you could say, a higher power. I mean, if you believe in that."**

**I did believe in a higher power. I also believed these demons were gonna get what was coming to them. "You wanna know what I believe?" The demon pressed harder and I felt the scalpel tear into me. I screamed again.**

"**What's that, love?" the Rickie-demon asked, caressing my cheek in a mockingly gentle gesture.**

"**That even if I do die, you three won't live to tell about it. Dean and Sam will hunt you down and send you straight back to hell."**

**The scalpel cut at another piece and then I felt something tear. He reached down and pulled at something. "No, they won't. I lay one hand on them and they're just two more dead bodies." He raised the hand that wasn't cutting me and I looked at him. Well, I didn't _want_ to, but he kind of shoved his hand in my face. A bloody piece of _something_ was dangling from his hands.**

"**What are you doing?" I asked, mortified at seeing a piece of me in his hands.**

"**Ripping the skin off your body…strip by strip." He smiled hideously. "But, the way I see it, I'm doin' you a favor. If you die now at least you won't die by the hands of your friend. You'll take your last shuddering breath here instead of in the strangling hands of Sam Winchester." He paused. "That was just a metaphor for death, by the way. I'm sure he'd come up with something much more original. He'd make what I'm doing seem like a walk in the park." And he stripped another piece of skin off. I wasn't healing fast enough. If they kept it up I'd be dead before the end of the day.**

**------------- -**

**I didn't know how long it had taken, but the doctor-demon had already taken five pieces of skin, and maybe a little bit of muscle, too. My throat was raw from screaming so much, but it didn't stop me from screaming when he cut into me again. These cuts were deeper than the other ones, mostly because I'd started shaking. I was pretty sure I was going into shock from blood loss. After the real pain had started, my mind had refused to shut down, to let me rest, so I'd been awake for all of it.**

"**All right, she's almost done. She's not gonna last much longer." It was the she-demon again. I saw her look at Rickie. "You go watch the Winchesters. Keep them away from here, kill them if you have to."**

**That brought me out of my shock-state. "No!," I tried to yell, but my voice was barely more than a whisper. "You leave them alone. They have nothing to do with this."**

"**Oh, they have everything to do with this," the doctor corrected me. "If they find you before you die, then my work will have been for nothing." He looked at Rickie. "Go."**

**If he'd wanted to kill me why hadn't he just cut off my head or stabbed me in the heart? Oh, right. Because he was a demon and he'd wanted to have his fun first.**

**He poked and he prodded, sometimes tearing meat off, sometimes just stabbing me. Either way, I was fully alert now that they'd mentioned going after Sam and Dean. I'd started struggling to get my hands free. The she-demon had then proceeded to use the knife they'd used earlier, stabbing it through my hand, driving it into the table. I felt the bones shift to make room for the knife, some of them breaking on the way.**

**And again, my screams filled the cellar, but they were quieter than before. My voice was only a little loud now, and I didn't know how much longer I could hold on. I was sure the only reason I was still alive was because of my unusual ability to heal. It wasn't working much, but it was keeping me alive. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.**

**------------- -**

"**Well, I'll tell you one thing," the she-demon said tauntingly. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Most people would have given up long before now."**

**I didn't say anything. I didn't know how I'd survived as long as I had. Hell, I didn't even know how long I'd survived, period.**

**The doctor-demon paused in whatever he was doing, looking upwards. Apparently he'd heard something that bothered him. "Go and see what that was," he commanded the other demon.**

"**It's probably that idiot boy, back from killing the Winchesters," she said, smirking in my direction.**

"**Go check or I'll turn my blade on you." That must have scared her, because she took off right after that. A few moments later, I heard someone screaming and it wasn't me. It got the demon's attention and he seemed worried now. "Don't you go anywhere," he said, sarcastically. He turned away from me and went up the stairs.**

**Now that the almost never-ending pain was coming to a standstill I felt the darkness try to take me over. My breathing came in short little gasps, I was shaking and cold and, every time I moved it sent pain through my abdomen and it jerked my hand, making the knife move around and I felt it cutting through towards my fingers.**

**My voice was raspy and I was sure that it wouldn't carry to the top floor, but I screamed for help anyway. And then the candles in the room started fading in and out, each time getting darker, until, suddenly, I felt my eyes get heavy and I just couldn't keep them open anymore. So I let go and let my world fall away, let the pain fall away.**

**------------- -**

**_Beep…Beep…Beep…_**

**An annoying beeping noise was bringing me out of what felt like a drug-induced sleep. My head felt like it was spinning in circles and I hadn't even opened my eyes yet. I probably shouldn't have, either, because when I did I saw, through blurry eyes, that I was in a semi-dark room-but not as dark as the cellar-and there was a figure standing above me, hovering.**

**If I had been aware enough to realize I wasn't getting a vibe off this person, I wouldn't have freaked out, but I wasn't aware and so I did freak out. I heard the beeping noise accelerate. That was weird.**

**I tried sitting up, putting pressure on my hand, sending pain up my arm. My stomach felt like it was on fire, and I couldn't even scream, my throat hurt so bad.**

**Hands were suddenly at my shoulders, but they didn't hurt. How strange.**

"**Hey, hey, take it easy," the voice said soothingly. A very familiar, home-feeling voice. _Dean_. Dean was here. Wherever _here_ was.**

**The beeping noise slowed down little by little. I looked towards where the noise was coming from and saw a little monitor on a shelf-thing. A heart monitor. I was in the hospital. Why was I in the hospital?**

**The things that had been done to me flashed through my mind and tears came to my eyes. Demons, pain, near-death. _Sam_.**

**I heard a click and then suddenly a light came on. My eyelids closed against the offending thing. It was too bright.**

"**Alyson?" That was Sam's voice. I couldn't answer, but I opened my eyes and squinted up at him. He was looking at me, sympathy apparent on his face. That made the tears spill over.**

"**I'm gonna go get a doctor," Dean said, removing his hands from my shoulders.**

"**No!" a hoarse cry escaped my throat, burning on the way. I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want either of them to. "Stay," I whispered, trying to swallow around the pain. My throat was dry and I needed water, so I asked for some.**

**Dean brought a cup from a tray beside the bed and put it to my lips. I drank from it greedily. It felt good on my sore throat. When I was done, I stupidly tried to talk again.**

"**How long was I gone?"**

"**Two days," Sam said and Dean clenched his jaw. He was probably blaming himself. It wasn't his fault. I made a mental note to tell him that later.**

**I looked at Sam. "How did you find me? Why am I in the hospital? What if I had healed or something?"**

"**We had to bring you here," Dean said, so I turned my attention to him. "When we found you, you were…you were barely alive, you'd lost so much blood. And you weren't healing. Why weren't you healing?" Anger mixed with worry came through in his tone. I knew he wasn't angry with me, so it didn't bother me much. "I mean, did they have special weapons or something?"**

**I shook my head. "No. Regular ones. I guess it was because of the blood loss. Maybe the weaker I get, the weaker my ability gets…" They still hadn't answered my other question. "How did you find me?"**

"**A demon came after us," Sam said. "We exorcised him. The guy was still alive, so he told us where you were." Hm. Maybe that's why the demon had left the body after Mr. Stevens had died. Maybe it had wanted the body dead, so that even if we got there and exorcised it, no one would have been able to tell what the demons were up to.**

**I assumed the demon they had exorcised had been possessing Rickie. "And the other two, are they gone?" I paused. "And Layla…is she okay?" I stopped talking because my stomach started burning. I bit my lip and took a semi-deep breath trying to sooth it away, and to keep myself from crying in pain.**

"**Layla's fine and the other two demons are gone," Sam said reassuringly.**

**I saw Dean lean over the bed to pick something up, but I couldn't see what it was. "They lured me here using Layla and her family," I said weakly. I was getting tired abnormally fast. How strange. It had just hit me all of a sudden. "They were trying to…get to me the…whole time." My voice was getting softer and it sounded kind of fuzzy in my head.**

**The last thing I noticed was that Dean was pressing a button-a red button. I'd seen those thing on TV before, where it filtered out pain medication. He was making sure my pain went away, but it was putting me to sleep in the process. But I didn't tell him to stop.**

**------------- -**

**The next time I woke up, the light wasn't on, but the sun was shining into the room through the window. My mind was clearer, but the pain was still there in my stomach and hand. Apparently, I still hadn't healed fully.**

**When I opened my eyes, I saw Dean sitting tensely in a chair beside me. "Dean?" I whispered and he looked up to meet my gaze.**

**He seemed relieved that I was awake, which was ironic since he was the one who had made the medicine go into my system. "Hey," he said, scooting the chair closer to the bed. Now that he was closer, I could see that his eyes were wet and a little red. He'd been crying. Over me. I didn't know how to feel about that. I mean, it proved that he cared about me, but I hated that he was suffering because of me.**

"**Hey," I said, looking around the room. Sam wasn't there. "Where'd Sam go?"**

"**Coffee," was his response. He sounded a little hoarse too. "You wanted me to stay, so I did. Not that I would leave you alone, anyway. Not after-" he broke off, clenching his jaw. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reopened them. "I almost lost you," he said brokenly. "You-you nearly died."**

**The chair was on the left side of me, so I reached for his hand, which he lifted up to meet me half way. Either he was really warm or I was really cold because his hand felt unnaturally hot against my fingers.**

"**Dean, there's something I have to tell you." Sam wasn't here, so now seemed to as good a time as any. "The demons told me something." I licked my lips, but it didn't help any because my tongue was as dry as sandpaper.**

"**Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he replied.**

"**Yes, I do. It's about Sam," I said urgently and Dean sat up a little straighter.**

"**Were they after him too?"**

**I shook my head. "They said that his visions come from someplace dark. Like they're not good or something." I paused, trying to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem too surprised, just worried. "They said that he can do things that he doesn't know about yet. And that-" I broke off because a doctor came into the room.**

**Dean squeezed my hand lightly. "We'll talk about it later, all right?" I nodded.**

"**Miss Daniels. Nice to see you're awake. I'm Dr. Richardson." He had a clipboard in his hands and he was going through it. "How are you feeling?"**

"**Um, my mouth is dry. My head felt like it was filled with sponge cake earlier, but it's better now. And I'm a little cold."**

"**And the pain on a scale from one to ten?"**

"**When I'm sitting still, a four. When I move, an eight," I replied.**

**The doctor put that down in my file. "Okay. You're mouth being dry is from the drugs-morphine-as is the fuzziness of mind. And you're dehydrated. As for being cold…you lost a lot of blood, we had to give you a transfusion." He paused. "Do you remember what happened? How you lost the blood?"**

**I started fidgetting, which was a mistake because it _hurt_. I held my breath to keep from crying out until the pain subsided. Then I exhaled slowly and said, "I don't know what happened. I didn't even know how I got here until Dean explained it." I hoped the doctor couldn't tell I was lying.**

**Dr. Richardson continued writing. "Yes, well, that tends to happen when one goes through something traumatic. The human mind represses things it can't deal with." He looked in Dean's direction. "Do you mind stepping out of the room for a few minutes? I need to check and possibly change her bandages."**

**Dean looked at me. It was apparently up to me whether he stayed or left. "I'm fine," I said. "Just stay close."**

"**I'll be right outside the door," he promised, standing up and kissing me on the forehead.**

**Throughout the examination I thought about things like Sam-I knew he'd never hurt me-and Layla. I knew I had to let her go, as much as it would hurt me to do so, because as long as she was in contact with me, she was in danger. These demons had used her to bring me here and the supernatural world would continue to use her as long as we kept in touch. As much as I hated to think it, my friendship with her was a weakness my enemies could use against me. If you thought about it, my friendship with Sam could be seen as a weakness. My relationship with Dean, too. The difference being, Sam and Dean knew how to take care of themselves, protect themselves against demons; Layla didn't. And we couldn't stay here and protect her 24/7. We just couldn't. So, letting her go would be safer to do. But it wouldn't be easy.**

"**Amazing," I heard the doctor say softly, bringing me out of my thoughts. He was looking at my hand-the one the knife had gone through.**

"**What?" I asked.**

"**You're healing surprisingly fast," he said. "And the bones seem to have reset themselves."**

**I didn't have to act surprised. I hadn't known I could do that. "Wow." He helped me sit up and I winced. He started undoing the bandages around my stomach and I felt something pull. "And ow." It didn't hurt that bad, actually, I just hadn't expected it. The bandages had been stuck to my side, where the doctor from hell had performed unwanted surgery on me.**

"**Again, you seem to be healing beautifully. Really, what does your family feed you?"**

"**Um." I blushed. "Food?"**

**Dr. Richardson smiled brightly. "Well, God must be smiling on you today."**

**A higher power. I nodded, smiling. "Yeah." I paused. "Is there any way I could get an extra blanket or something?"**

"**Sure. I'll have a nurse bring one in shortly."**

"**Thank you…and when can I get out of here?"**

"**You keep healing at this rate, tomorrow morning," he said before walking out the door.**

**Dean walked back in, Sam and Layla, following him. Sam had two coffees-one for him and one for Dean. Layla had two McDonald's cups. She handed one to me. It was sweet tea. I savored the first few sips, letting it sooth my throat and then set it on the tray by the bed.**

"**Thank you," I said. "Um, Layla, listen, I've been thinking and-" I broke off. She'd raised her hand to shush me.**

"**I know. You're leaving as soon as you get out of here. Dean told me." She paused. "Sam picked ya'lls stuff up before coming here."**

"**Oh." Dean hadn't told me anything of the sort. "Well, that's-that's not all." Dean grabbed my hand-the good one-like he knew what was coming. "Um, we shouldn't talk anymore." And that had come out entirely wrong. Layla looked confused and a little hurt, so I tried to explain. "Those things, the demons, they used you to get to me. And, indirectly or not, your dad is dead because of me. And they'll continue to use you against me as long as they know I'll come back." I felt tears sting my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. "So I can't anymore. To keep you safe…I can't continue talking to you because it'll put you in danger and these things-my enemies-wouldn't think twice about using you as bait again." I paused, sucking in a breath. "It's safer…for both of us. Trust me."**

**Layla bit her lip, looking like she was taking everything in. "I get that, I guess," she said softly. "But, my dad's death isn't your fault. You shouldn't think that." She looked around the room. "Well, when does this no contact thing start? After you leave or right now?"**

"**If you wanna stay, you can. But if you wanna leave, I'll understand." So she stayed. "And, um, I won't be there to say good-bye. I think it'll be too hard on the both of us, if I go back to your house. So, we should just do that here, before you go home."**

**She agreed to that and seemed like she was okay with it, but I knew Layla. She'd cry about it later. I hated being the cause, but I knew what I was doing was right.**


	9. Simon Said Part One

**All right, so on with the episodes again.**

**Simon Said  
Part One**

**It had been a few days since we'd left California, since I'd left Layla behind. I kept meaning to delete her from my contacts list on my phone, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.**

**But leaving Layla wasn't the worst part. I mean, I'd made my decision and I was sticking to it, no matter how hard it was to not call her whenever I wanted to.**

**No, the worst part was the nightmares. My skin being stripped off in some places, being stabbed in others. And, really, it wasn't the pain, exactly. It was the feeling of helplessness that went with it. Knowing that your life could end at any second and sometimes hoping that it would so you wouldn't hurt anymore.**

**And that's what I was doing now. Having a nightmare…me strapped to the table with a demon cutting into me. Or at least I had been until I'd woken up, shaking.**

**It hadn't taken me long to adjust to reality. I mean, the light was on-we were in a motel room-and Dean was automatically there, making sure I was okay. I was, physically; I'd healed up nicely after my strength had returned. I didn't even have scars. If someone didn't know what had happened, they wouldn't have been able to tell.**

**Dean and I had gotten our own room for the past few nights. We weren't on a case, and the first night we'd left California Sam, Dean, and I had gotten one room and I'd woken up-in the dark, which was the problem-screaming like a banshee, scaring the daylights out of Sam and Dean.**

**After that, I'd gotten my own room, intending on staying in it by myself, but Dean wouldn't hear of it. So he stayed with me. He'd learned that I could calm down easier if the light was on so we slept with it on.**

**And that's why we were up at two in the morning. Because I'd had a nightmare-I didn't scream this time, though. But I was crying and shaking, and Dean was doing his best to calm me down, stroking my hair and rubbing my back, and it was working somewhat. But the dreams didn't just bring back the physical pain; they brought back what was said to me about Sam.**

**I'd just realized that I'd never finished telling Dean what the demons had told me. Sam wasn't here, so now seemed like a good time.**

"**Can we talk now?" I asked softly.**

"**Sure." He'd probably do anything if it would make me feel better. "What do you wanna talk about?"**

"**I need to finish telling you about Sam."**

"**Oh." He didn't seem all that surprised. "Yeah, I was wonderin' when you were gonna bring that back up."**

"**Oh." I tried to remember what the last thing was that I'd said to him about Sam. Abilities…Sam could do more than he thought he could. "The demons…they think he's the Anti-Christ or something." I felt Dean's arms stiffen around me. "But I mean, that's impossible, right? Sam isn't evil, he would never hurt anyone." That seemed to relax Dean a little. Maybe that had been why he'd tensed up in the first place; he'd been wondering what I thought.**

**I heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay." He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back gently so he could see my face. "What I'm about the tell you stays in the room, okay?"**

"**Of course," I said, grabbing his hands from my shoulders and squeezing them.**

**He was silent for a moment and I thought maybe he'd changed his mind about saying anything. But he hadn't. "Dad told me that I might have to kill Sam."**

**My breath caught in my throat. I forgot how to breathe in that moment. I got a little light-headed and sucked in much needed oxygen. "What?" My voice was barely more than a whisper.**

"**Um…I think he knew something we don't, or didn't until now. But he told me to watch out for Sam, to save him."**

"**Or what? You'd have to kill him?" I said, a little loudly. That made me a little angry. "He never should have told you that. He shouldn't have laid that off on you." I paused, thinking about what I'd learned about Sam. "You know what? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up. I shouldn't have told you. You have enough to worry about."**

"**Hey," he said, bringing his hands up to cup my face. "You did the right thing. I'm glad you told me." He dropped his hands. "I probably wouldn't have told you what I knew if you hadn't. And I was tired of being the only one to know. It was hard looking out for Sammy by myself."**

**I smiled a little. "And now you don't have to. We'll watch out for him. We won't let anything happen to him."**

**Things were silent for a while, but then he broke the silence. "So, uh, what else did they tell you?"**

"**Oh, nothing important," I said, too casually. And I knew he wouldn't buy it, because my voice sounded false even to my ears.**

**Dean shook his head. "You're a terrible liar. What did they say?"**

**I sighed. "It doesn't matter because it's never gonna happen."**

"**It's bad?"**

"**No. Because it won't happen," I repeated stubbornly. Dean gave me a puppy dog look that I didn't think he was capable of and I relented. "They told me that Sam is the one who is meant to kill me. That we are opposite forces or something like that."**

"**Opposite forces?"**

"**Yeah. My abilities come from a source of goodness, I guess. They said that I'm meant to be able to do more too. It sounded impossible, what they said I could do. But they believed it because they were scared of me."**

"**And he's meant to kill you?" Dean sounded skeptical. Good.**

"**Yeah. So, like I said, it'll never happen. He's not a murderer, so we don't have to worry about it."**

**------------- -**

**The next morning Sam, Dean, and I were going to go get breakfast but Sam had needed to go the bathroom first. We'd gone to his room to see if he wanted anything, but he'd said he'd go with us if we waited, so we waited. He'd been in there for a while. There was no way he was _just_ using the bathroom.**

**I went over to the door and knocked. "Sam, shake it and let's go."**

**Dean grinned. "Shake it and let's go?"**

"**What? I'm hungry," I said innocently.**

**Sam then came out of the bathroom, almost running into me. He seemed really upset. "We have to get to the Roadhouse."**

**That was random. "Why?" I asked.**

"**Vision. This guy, he's gonna shoot someone and then shoot himself. I saw it."**

"**Well, do you know where?" Dean asked.**

"**No." Sam began packing his stuff. "But I got a name off of a bus. Um, Blue Ridge something and the logo…I got that, too."**

"**Okay, well, I'll go get our stuff," I said.**

"**Wait for me," Dean said.**

**He was being a mother-hen again. Before I'd been kidnapped and…_hurt_, he'd lightened up a little, but now his protectiveness was coming back in full force. It didn't bother me as much as it probably should have.**

"**Anyway," Dean said, his attention on Sam now. "Why don't we just chill out and think about this?"**

**Sam paused from packing. "What's there to think about?"**

"**I just don't know if going to the Roadhouse is the smartest idea."**

"**Dean, it's another premonition. This is gonna happen, and Ash can tell us where." Sam, paused, but resumed packing. "Plus, it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do."**

"**That's my point," Dean said. "There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?"**

**Sam looked at him. "So, I'm a freak now?"**

**Realizing the mistake he'd made, Dean tried to joke his way out of it. "You've always been a freak."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Are we going or not?"**

**Dean sighed. "I guess we're gonna have to."**

**------------- -**

**The trip to the Roadhouse had been a tense one. Sam hadn't talked much; it seemed like his head was still hurting. Dean still seemed to think going to the Roadhouse was a bad idea. And judging from the amount of people that were there, I was starting to agree with him. When we'd been there the first time, it hadn't been open, and the second time there were only a few people there. But tonight it was kinda packed.**

"**Just can't stay away, huh?" That was Jo. She'd made a beeline for Dean the moment we'd walked through the door.**

**I looked at Dean to see what his reaction would be. "Yeah, looks like it." He wasn't flirting. "How you doin', Jo?"**

"**Where's Ash?" Sam asked urgently, butting in.**

"**In his back room." Sam nodded and went around her to go to Ash's room. "And I'm fine," she called after him. I smiled.**

"**Sorry," Dean said. "He's…we're kind of on a timetable." Jo nodded. "So…" Dean walked past her, too, and I followed him, nodding at Jo on the way.**

**When we got to Ash's room, Sam was already there, knocking on the door, but he wasn't getting an answer. There was a sign on the door that read _Dr_. _Badass_ _Is_ _In_, which I rolled my eyes at.**

"**Hey, Dr. Badass!" Dean said, taking over the knocking. And it worked. Ash opened the door-without a stitch of clothing on. Dean's hand came up and covered my eyes-not that I'd been looking, because I wasn't. I'd been just about ready to turn my back towards Ash, but Dean had beaten me to the punch.**

"**Hey, Ash," Sam said awkwardly. "Um, we need your help."**

"**Well, hell, then…I guess I need my pants."**

**I heard the door close, and Dean removed his hand from over my eyes. "That was…awkward," I said, beginning to walk back to the bar area.**

"**Yeah, you're tellin' me," Dean replied.**

**Sam, Dean, and I sat at a table near the bar, the two boys getting bottled beer, me getting water. Not that Ellen would've minded letting me have a beer or two; I just didn't want any.**

**Sam picked up a napkin, took out a pen, and started drawing something. "What're you doin'?" I asked.**

"**Drawing that logo I saw," Sam whispered.**

**A few minutes later, Ash came out-he was actually clothed-with his laptop and looked at the sketch. It was the name Blue Ridge, and it had a little triangle-looking thing over it.**

"**What's this for?" Ash asked. He was talking about the design.**

"**Um, a bus company name, I think," Sam said. "I need to know where it comes from."**

**So Ash went to work and was done within a minute. "So, I got a match," he said. "Let's see…it's the logo for the Blue Ridge bus lines. Guthrie, Oklahoma."**

"**Okay, do me a favor," Sam said, all business-like. "Check Guthrie for any demonic signs or omens or anything like that."**

"**You think the demon's there?"**

"**Yeah, maybe."**

"**Why would you think that?" Ash asked suspiciously.**

**I leaned over the table towards him. "Hey, Ash, just check it, all right?" I requested softly.**

**He looked at me, grinned, and did what I asked. "No, ma'am. Nothing, no demon."**

**Sam sighed and then looked like he was debating whether or not he should say anything further. But he did. "All right, try something else for me. Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be 1983, the fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, the night of the kid's six-month birthday."**

**I saw Jo look our way curiously-she was at the bar. And Ash was looking at Sam like he was crazy.**

"**Okay, now, that's just weird, man," Ash said. "Why the hell would I be lookin' for that?"**

**Sam put a beer bottle in front of him. "'Cause there's a PBR in it for ya."**

"**Give me fifteen minutes," Ash said quickly.**

**I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking over to the bar to sit on one of the stools where Jo was. I saw that a lot of the patrons were leaving. It must have been near closing time.**

**Jo started the conversation, because I honestly didn't know what to say. "So, how long have you been with them?" She nodded in the brother's direction.**

"**Since June. They, uh, they kinda took me in."**

"**Why?" She sounded curious, not demanding, so I didn't mind telling her.**

"**They stumbled across me on a hunt. My mom got…killed and they didn't want me to be next. They took me with 'em. Taught me how to hunt. Are still teaching me, actually. Every hunt's different, ya know."**

**She nodded. "You like it?" She sounded interested, but there seemed to be a weird sort of longing in her voice, like maybe she wanted to be hunting too.**

**I breathed a laugh. "That's a good question, and it's kinda hard to explain. I mean, a few months ago, I didn't even know things like this existed. Before Sam and Dean came into my life, I was completely in the dark. I mean, I'd read about this stuff, ya know, but I didn't know it was real."**

"**So you _don't_ like it?" she asked, confused at the path this conversation had taken.**

**I smiled slightly. "I didn't say that. I like helping people. I like saving them. And I like being with the guys. They're my life, ya know. They're the reason I do this. I think if they stopped, I would too." _If Dean stopped_, I added silently.**

**She threw a friendly smile my way. I wondered if she'd be so friendly if she knew I was with Dean. "So, you want that drink, after all?"**

**That got me laughing. "Nah. But I wouldn't mind helping you clean up. If you want me to."**

"**Sure," she said, throwing me a rag off the bar counter. "Could always use an extra pair of hands."**

**------------- -**

"**Excuse me, Miss, can I get another beer?" Dean asked as I walked by him to take a tray of empty glasses back to the bar. He followed me and sat down on a stool.**

"**Hey, what am I, a maid?" I asked.**

"**No." He grinned. "Right now, you're a waitress. Ya know, customer service. I'm a customer, so service me."**

**I blushed. "Do you know how dirty that sounded?" Servicing Dean brought naughty thoughts to my mind that I was in no way ready for.**

"**That's not how I meant it," he said seriously. "Pervert."**

**I fake glared at him. I wasn't actually mad. "Other pervert." I sat beside him. "Anyway, my shift's over. I helped clean up, so my job is done. And you shouldn't drink anyway, you have to drive." I nudged him in the side with my elbow.**

**I watched Jo walk up to the jukebox and a punch in a number. _Can't Fight This Feeling_ came on. I saw Dean grimace. "What?" I asked as Jo came towards us.**

"**REO Speedwagon?"**

"**Damn right, REO. Kevin Cronin sings it from the heart," Jo said.**

**Dean smirked. "He sings it from the hair. There's a difference."**

**I smacked him on the arm. "Hey, I _like_ that song." Dean looked at me strange. "What? It's a good song."**

"**Thank you," Jo said, agreeing. "Anyway, that profile you've got Ash looking for?" She looked at Dean. "Your mom died the same way, didn't she? A fire in Sam's nursery?"**

**Dean hesitated before answering. "Look, Jo, it's kind of a family thing."**

"**I could help," she said.**

"**I'm sure you could," Dean replied. "But we've gotta handle this one ourselves. Besides if we ran off with you, I think your mother might kill me."**

**I laughed and Dean smiled, as did Jo. "You're afraid of my mother?" she asked.**

"**I think so," he said, still smiling.**

**Sam came up behind me and patted me on the back, making me jump. I glared at him. "Could you warn somebody before you do that? I mean, seriously, in our profession, you don't sneak up on people."**

"**Sorry," he said. "But we've got a match. We need to go."**

"**All right," Dean said, standing up. "Well, we'll see ya later, Jo."**

**Sam, Dean, and I walked towards the door, leaving Jo there looking disappointed. I had to admit, I felt kinda sorry for her. I mean, she wanted to hunt, that much was obvious. But more importantly, she wanted Dean, and he hadn't even shown an ounce of interest, which was good because I'd have kicked his butt.**

**I wondered if I should have told her about Dean and me being together. Whether it would've helped or hurt the situation. I mean, the worst that could happen is that she'd be jealous. Best case scenario, she'd move on.**

**------------- -**

**We'd been in the car for less than fifteen minutes, but we were on our way to Oklahoma. We'd get there by morning. I was sitting up front and Sam was in the back, using a flashlight to go through the file Ash had given us.**

**Dean was humming something under his breath. I moved closer toward him to hear what it was exactly and he took one hand off the steering wheel and invited me to cuddle into his side. Invitation accepted. I got as close as I could get without actually getting on top of him and he wrapped his arm around me, rubbing my arm a few times. And suddenly, he began singing.**

"**_And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might. And I can't fight this feeling anymore. I've forgotten what I started fighting for._"**

**I smiled and bent my head up to kiss his neck once, before leaning into him again.**

"**You're kidding, right?" Sam asked from the backseat. I didn't know why. I mean, Dean's singing wasn't that bad. It was actually kinda sexy. His voice did this little growly thing that made me shiver.**

"**Yeah, so?" Dean asked.**

"**I thought you didn't like that song." I said softly.**

"**Yeah, well, I see the appeal now," he replied, squeezing my arm gently. "Anyway, what do you got?" he asked Sam.**

"**Andrew Gallagher. Born in '83, like me. Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like me."**

"**You think the demon killed his mom?"**

"**Sure looks like it," Sam answered.**

"**How'd you even now what to look for?" I asked, speaking up so he could hear me.**

"**Every premonition I've had…if they're not about the demon, they're about the other kids the demon visited. There was this one guy Max Miller, and he had an ability, like me. He was killing people, and I was having the same type of visions about him. Now it could be happening again with this Gallagher guy."**

**Hm. The vision he'd had about me must have been because of the demon, because my abilities weren't psychic related.**

"**How do we find him?" Dean asked.**

"**I don't know." Sam sounded frustrated. "No current address, no current employment. He still owes money on all his bills…phone, credit, utilities." Ash had been able to get all of that on this guy. Definitely couldn't be legal.**

"**Collection agency flags?" Dean suggested.**

"**Not in the system."**

"**They just let him get away with it?" I asked surprised. I wondered how he was pulling that one off.**

"**Seems like it," Sam answered. "There's a work address from his last W-2, about a year ago. Let's start there."**

"**Well, where did he work?"**

"**Some diner," Sam said.**

**So at least the guy had been a waiter and not a postal worker.**

**------------- -**

**I didn't sleep that night-we'd been in the car and the dark-so when we got to Guthrie I was more than a little tired. I was giddy and silly now. Things that wouldn't normally make me laugh were. And I was glad that Sam and Dean found it endearing rather than annoying. And it's not like I was endangering my life or anything, because I could be serious now, it was just harder than normal to do it.**

**We were in our business suits again. I was wearing the slacks and flats, not the skirt and heels. We were at the diner that Andrew Gallagher had worked at the year before. A girl named Tracy was pouring coffee into three cups for us. She seemed really nice. We'd asked her if she knew the guy we were looking for and she had.**

**She took a look at the way we were dressed and said, "you won't get anything out of Andy, guys. I'm sorry, but they never do."**

"**They?" Sam asked curiously.**

**Tracy nodded, smiling. "You're debt collectors, right? Once in a while they come by. I don't know what Andy says to them, but they never come back."**

"**Actually, we're lawyers," Dean said, making something up off the top of his head, "representing his great-aunt Lita. She passed, God rest her soul, but left Andy a sizable estate."**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed.**

"**So, are you a friend of his?" I asked, putting cream and sugar in my coffee.**

"**I used to be, yeah. I don't see much of Andy anymore." She looked down at the floor sadly. She obviously had feelings for this Andy character.**

**Suddenly, a guy sat down at our table. He seemed excited or something. "Are you talkin' about Andy? He kicks ass, man!"**

"**Is that right?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah! Andy can get you into anything, man. He even got me backstage at Aerosmith once. It was beautiful, bro."**

"**Uh-huh." Tracy seemed unimpressed. "How about bussing a table or two, Webber?" So he obviously worked here.**

"**Yeah, you bet, boss," Webber said, standing up.**

**Tracy turned back to us. "Look, if you wanna find Andy, try Orchard Street. Just look for a van with a Barbarian queen painted on the side."**

"**A Barbarian queen?" Dean asked.**

**Tracy nodded. "She's riding a polar bear. It's kinda hard to miss."**

**------------- -**

**Orchard Street was only about two blocks away and now we were sitting in the Impala across the street from Andy's van. It was blue and, sure enough, there was a woman-with a sword in her hand-riding a polar bear.**

"**I'm sorry, but I'm startin' to like this dude. That van is _sweet_." That was Dean. Of course he'd be thinking about automobiles now.**

**I leaned up between the seats, rested my arms on it, and laid my head down on my arms. I noticed that Sam looked upset and tense, so I asked him what was wrong.**

"**Nothing," he answered.**

**Dean looked over at him. "Sam, you look like you're sucking on a lemon. What's goin' on?"**

"**This Andrew Gallagher…he's the second guy like this we've found, Dean. The demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people." Sam sounded worried.**

"**We don't know what Andrew Gallagher is, okay? He could be innocent," Dean said.**

"**My visions haven't been wrong yet."**

**I lifted my head to look at Sam. "Did you see him killing anybody? Because you told us that you saw some guy shoot someone and then shoot himself."**

"**No, I didn't, but it was connected to Andrew. I know it." Sam looked down at his lap. "And I'm one of them. One of the people the demon visited. I'm just like them."**

"**No, you're not," Dean said.**

"**Dean, the demon said he had plans for me and children like me."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Maybe this is his plan, maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks! Maybe we're all supposed to be-"**

**I cut him off. "What, killers? Murderers?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Sam, do you wanna kill me?" I asked heatedly.**

**He looked confused. "What? No."**

"**Do you wanna kill anyone else?"**

**Sam grinned a little, seeing where I was going with this. "No. Not anyone human anyway."**

"**Well, there ya go," Dean said, relieved. "Glad this conversation is over."**

"**Besides, no one can make you into a killer, unless you let them," I said softly. "Remember, you're in control. No one can make you do something you don't wanna do." I paused. "Well, I mean, unless you're possessed, or under a spell. But then it wouldn't be your fault even if you did do something bad, because it wouldn't be you who did it." And I was babbling now. "And you're _not_ a killer," I finished softly but firmly.**

**Sam's grin had faded somewhere between the beginning and the end of my speech. "Last time I checked, I kill all kinds of things."**

"**Well, those things were askin' for it. There's a difference," Dean said. "You were saving people. And those things were evil."**

**We continued to watch Andrew's apartment building and, finally, he came out. He was wearing pajamas and a robe. He looked up and I followed his gaze. An attractive blonde girl was waving at him from a window on the second floor. Andrew continued walking down the sidewalk, stopping a guy who had a cup of coffee and taking it from him. Well, he didn't so much as take it since the guy willingly handed it over. But still…**

**Andrew kept on walking and reached an older African American guy. They shook hands; they seemed to be friends.**

"**That's him," Sam said. "The older guy, that's the shooter."**

"**All right, well, you keep on him, I'll stick with Andy."**

**I, of course, was staying with Dean. So I climbed over to the front seat-after Sam got out-and slid down onto it.**

"**Hey, don't you know that's what the door is for," Dean said.**

"**What? It's not like I'm hurting her." Dean started the car, seemingly pleased that I'd referred to his baby as a her and not an it, when Andrew-I didn't feel right calling him Andy because I didn't know him-got into his van. And then we followed him.**

**I brought my hand to my mouth and yawned. I was extremely tired, I'd been up for a little over twenty-four hours. It didn't matter, because I'd get my second wind eventually.**

**------------- -**

**As we followed Andrew, we didn't say much. In fact, I was about five minutes from falling asleep. That is, until we came to a stop behind Andrew and he got out of the van, walking towards us. I saw Dean put his arm in his jacket, probably reaching for his gun, but he didn't pull it out.**

"**Hey," Andrew said when he reached us. He seemed awfully cheery.**

"**Uh, hey," Dean said hesitantly.**

"**This is a cherry ride."**

"**Yeah, thanks." Okay, so he had good taste in cars.**

**Andrew looked her over. "Man, ya know, '67...Impala's best year if you ask me. This is a serious classic."**

**Dean removed his hand from inside his jacket without the gun. He was relaxed enough to talk to this guy. "Yeah, I just rebuilt her, too. Can't let a car like this one go."**

"**Damn straight." Andy-I would call him Andy now that I'd met him-grinned and Dean laughed. Andy leaned down closer to Dean. "Hey…can I have it?"**

"**Sure, man!" Dean said happily. And then he got out of the car. I was pretty much shell-shocked and I didn't move from my seat until Andy asked me to. Andy wasn't even in the car yet, and when he asked me to get out, it had felt weird, like I could feel him in my mind. But I got out of my own accord.**

"**Sweet!" Andy said, getting inside in the driver's seat.**

"**Hop right in there…there ya go," Dean said, shutting the door for him. He was _shutting the door for him_.**

"**Nice." Andy was smiling. "Take it easy." And he drove away.**

**Okay, two things were just weirding me out. One, Dean had willing given up the Impala. Kinda like the guy with the coffee, except the Impala was a lot more important then a cup of coffee.**

**Second, when Andy had asked me to get out, I felt a sort of twinge in my brain, like when Missouri had tried to get into my mind. I'd felt Andy in my mind, heard his voice kind of reverberating. And it hadn't hurt or felt uncomfortable or anything like that, just wrong.**

**I stood beside Dean. "What…the heck…was that?"**

**Dean just looked stunned and maybe a little panicked. "He took my car." He turned to me. "He _took_ my car."**

"**Actually, you let him _have_ your car. What's up with that, Dean?"**

"**I don't know. Mind control or somethin'."**

"**Hm." That would explain why I felt him messing around in my head.**

"**What?"**

**I looked up at Dean. "What what?"**

"**You felt him in your head?"**

**Oops. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Yeah. Didn't you?"**

"**No. I mean, yeah, he was messing with my mind, but I didn't _feel_ him."**

"**Oh, well, it was kinda like the mind reading thing with Missouri."**

**Dean took that in and nodded. "Okay, well, we better start walkin'. We need to get back to Sam."**

**I stood still. "Why don't we just take the van?"**

"**No, he's already seen us. He could report it stolen or something."**

"**And then we'd get busted. Got it," I said, starting to walk alongside him.**

**His phone rang and he answered it, putting it on speakerphone. It must have been Sam. "Hello?"**

"**Dean, Andy's got the Impala." Yep, it was Sam.**

"**I know," Dean replied. "He just sort of asked me for it, and then I let him take it."**

"**You _what_?"**

"**Mind control, Sam," I said.**

"**Yeah, he full-on Obi-Wan'd me."**

"**Okay…but-" Sam was cut off by this lout crash coming from his line. A few screams followed.**

"**Sam?" Dean said urgently. "What happened? Are you okay?"**

"**The shooter, he got hit by a bus."**

"**A Blue Ridge bus?" I asked although it was a moot point now.**

"**Yeah," Sam whispered.**

"**Well, where are you?" Dean asked.**

"**Near the gun store."**

"**Okay, well, just stay there, we'll be there shortly." And with that, Dean hung up.**

**It took us about twenty minutes to find Sam. He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the gun store, looking pretty beaten up, emotionally.**

**The paramedics were there already putting the guy's body in a bag. At least he'd died quickly and wasn't in pain.**

"**I kept him out of the gun store. I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least." Sam paused. "I should've stayed with him."**

"**Sam, it's not your fault," I said, grabbing his arm. "You didn't know."**

**He nodded twice and then a determined look crossed his face. "We need to find Andy."**

"**We need to find my car," Dean added, more as an afterthought than anything else.**

"**Andy's killing people. That's more important than your car."**

**Dean and I exchanged looks. I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was. That Andy wasn't a killer. I mean, he'd had the chance to kill _us_ and he hadn't. He could've even gotten Dean to try and kill me if he'd wanted to, so, no I didn't think he was a killer. A stone head, maybe, but not a killer.**

* * *

Hey, readers. Thanks to the people who reviewed when I did my own thing and please keep reviewing. Thanks.


	10. Simon Said Part Two

**Hey, readers. It's the second part of Simon Said, obviously. I forgot to mention in the first part that I just loved Andy's character in the show. As Dean said, he was awesome. Anyway, I just wanted to say that in case you didn't get it from the way I put him in this chapter.**

**Simon Said  
Part Two**

**The three of us found the Impala parked on a street corner. It hadn't taken that long, but we were disappointed that we hadn't found Andy with it. Well, Dean wasn't really disappointed; he was happy to have his car back.**

"**Oh, thank God. I'm sorry, baby, I'll never leave you again." He poked his head through the window. "At least he left the keys in it."**

"**Yeah. A real Samaritan, this guy," Sam replied sarcastically.**

"**Well, it looks like he can't work his mojo just by twitchin' his nose. He's gotta use verbal commands." Hm. Twitching his nose. Dean was referring to _Bewitched_. My mom had watched that show.**

"**The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus." Sam sighed, frustrated. "Andy must have called him or somethin'."**

"**We don't know that, Sam," I said quietly.**

"**Beg your pardon?" He looked at me.**

"**I don't think it's him," I said firmly.**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "He doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type."**

**Sam blinked a few times, like maybe he couldn't believe what we were saying. "Dean, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco, and you have doubts about this guy?"**

"**Hey, O.J. was guilty!"**

**I laughed. It was the giddiness getting to me again. Dean shook his head and Sam pretty much ignored me. They were used to it by now, so it didn't faze them as much as it had the first few times it had happened.**

"**Whether he's guilty or not," Sam started, "how are we gonna track this guy down?"**

**Dean had a light bulb moment. "Not a problem. I mean, his van isn't exactly an inconspicuous ride. We just need to look for it."**

**Sam seemed to agree, so we all got in the car. "So, what? We're just gonna ride around town until we find it?" I asked.**

"**Pretty much. I mean, he's gotta be around here somewhere," Dean answered. He turned his attention to me. "What was with the giggle-fest over O.J."**

**I blushed a little. "If I wasn't tired I wouldn't have laughed. It's just…it brought back memories."**

"**About the O.J. Simpson trial?" Dean asked skeptically. "How do you remember anything? Weren't you, like, five?" He started the car.**

"**Oh, I don't remember how old I was. I know I was still in elementary school. It's just, my dad was actually still living with us at the time. You know how they had the trial and everything on the TV?" Dean nodded, pulling out into traffic. "Well, we'd always argue over the TV. He was hogging it. And I used to watch Power Rangers after I came home from school, but while that was on, he wouldn't let me. I remember, that's when I got my first television. I got home from school one day, and there it was in my room. He bought it for me so I'd be happy." I smiled a little. I hadn't thought of that memory in a long time. I hadn't had reason to.**

"**I thought you said you didn't remember your dad," Sam said, looking at Andy's file.**

"**I said I didn't know much about him. He left when I was ten. I saw him maybe twice a year, if that, before he died."**

**Honestly, I hadn't thought about my dad much at all in the last few years. Even when he'd come to see me in the years before his death we hadn't done any father-daughter bonding. He'd traveled a lot; had wanted to travel, and that's why he'd left. He and my mom just hadn't been compatible. My mom had liked staying in one place, whereas my dad hadn't. So, instead of arguing all the time, he'd just left. He had sent me little trinkets and stuff, a post card every now and again, but that had been it, apart from the one or two visits a year.**

**And then, when I was fourteen, he'd died. I didn't really know how-I hadn't asked and my mom hadn't told me.**

**I'd been so lost in thought, that I didn't even notice when the car stopped. The thing that brought me out of it was the doors opening and closing. I got out after the guys and looked around. We'd found Andy's van and it wasn't where he'd left it when he'd taken the Impala, so he must have gone back for it after we'd left.**

**Dean had opened the back up and we were now looking in it. It was completely tricked out. It had beads that separated the front from the back. It had a disco ball, blankets, books, a tiger poster, and a _bong_. I'd been right before. He was a stone head, but that didn't lead directly to murderer.**

"**Oh come on. This is…this is magnificent, that's what this is. Not exactly a serial killer's lair, though," Dean said, rummaging around. "I mean, there's no little clown paintings on the walls or scissors stuck in victims' photos. And I like the tiger." He pointed to the poster.**

**Sam started going through the books. "Hegel? Kant? Wittgenstein? That's some pretty heavy reading, Dean."**

**Dean grinned, picking up the bong I'd seen earlier. "Yeah, and, uh…Moby Dick's bong."**

**That got me laughing again. I mean, the thing was at least two feet tall. "Didn't you know that most of the world's geniuses were druggies at one time or another?"**

**Sam looked at me weird. "How do you know?"**

"**Oh, come on. The thing's people come up with, they have to be on something. And you think of the most random awesome things when you do that stuff."**

**Dean raised his eyebrows at me, grinning widely. "Again, how do you know?"**

**Oh, he was thinking maybe I wasn't as innocent as I said I was. "_I've_ never done it," I exclaimed. "I just know people who have and they seemed more creative when they were high. Until they fell asleep, anyway." I paused. "And you should know by now that I wouldn't do that."**

"**He does know that," Sam said, smiling. "He just wanted to see what you would say."**

"**Oh," I said. "Okay." I looked around. "Well, we've snooped around enough, right? We should just go back to the car and follow him when he leaves."**

**Dean nodded. "Sounds good to me."**

**------------- -**

**We'd followed Andy to a little house in the middle of town, and I was trying my best to stay awake now. I was going on thirty hours without sleep, so it was a little hard. Sam was going through Andy's files again and trying to figure out why the older guy-Dr. Jennings, his name was-would have been a target.**

"**What I don't get is the motive. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean. Why would Andy waste him."**

"**If it _is_ Andy," Dean said.**

"**Dude, enough." Sam was annoyed. "The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. Andy just happens to have the power of mind control. You do the math."**

"**Sam, it's not him. I mean, he could've killed _us_ and he didn't," I spoke up.**

"**Why are you two bending over backwards, defending him?" Sam raised his voice.**

"'**Cause you're not right about this," Dean argued.**

"**And why are you so quick to condemn him, anyway?" I asked.**

**Sam didn't get a chance to answer because Andy pretty much banged on the top of the car and stuck his head through the passenger side window.**

"**Hey! You think I haven't seen you guys? Why are you following me?"**

**There it was again. That weird twinge in my head that made me feel obligated to do what he wanted. To tell him why we were here, but there was another part of me that was rebelling against it.**

"**Well, we're lawyers. See, a relative of yours has passed away." It wasn't working on Sam, the mind control or whatever.**

"**Tell the truth," Andy's voice echoed in my mind and it was starting to become a little uncomfortable.**

"**That's what I'm-" Sam started.**

"**We hunt demons," Dean said bluntly, interrupting Sam.**

"**What?" Andy asked.**

"**Demons, spirits…things your worst nightmares wouldn't even touch. Sam here, he's my brother."**

"**Dean, shut up!" Sam said.**

"**I'm tryin'," Dean muttered. And he really seemed to be. I mean, he was talking through clenched teeth, like he was trying to keep the words from coming out. Dean turned back to Andy. "He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's gonna become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible, and I hope to Hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right."**

**It was a little like word-vomit. The words just kept spouting out, and Sam was looking at him in surprise. And Andy was pretty much shocked.**

"**Okay, you know what? Just leave me alone."**

"**Okay," Dean said happily, turning his head away from Andy. Andy started walking away, but Sam got out and followed him.**

"**What are you doing? Look, I said leave me alone," I heard Andy say. "Get out of here! Just start driving and never stop."**

**I watched as Sam and Andy walked farther away from the car and I couldn't hear them anymore.**

"**Dean, you okay?"**

"**Yeah," he said slowly. He made to get out of the car and I got out with him. We could hear Sam and Andy again.**

"**You can make people do things, can't you? You can tell them what to think?"**

**Andy laughed nervously. "That's crazy."**

"**It all started about a year ago, didn't it? After you turned twenty-two. Little stuff at first, then you got better at controlling it."**

**Andy was stunned. "How do you know all this?"**

"'**Cause the same thing happened to me, Andy. My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities, too. You see, we're connected, you and me."**

"**You know what, just get out of here, all right?"**

**Sam shook his head. "Why'd you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?"**

"**What?" Andy sounded confused.**

"**Why did you kill him?"**

"**I didn't!" I could tell Andy was telling the truth.**

**Suddenly, Sam was grabbing his head like he was in pain. He looked like he was getting ready to collapse. Forgetting about Andy's ability for now, Dean rushed over, grabbing a hold of Sam and helping him to the ground gently. "Sam! What is it?"**

"**I didn't do anything to him," Andy said quickly.**

"**A woman…a woman burning alive." Oh, he'd had another vision. A migraine-inducing vision.**

**I squatted down beside him. "Did you see anything else?"**

"**A gas station. A woman's gonna kill herself."**

"**What does he mean _going to_? What is he-" Andy started.**

"**Shut up." Dean pointed to him.**

"**She gets triggered by a call on her cell," Sam added.**

"**When?"**

"**I don't know." Dean and I helped him to his feet. Sam looked at Andy. "But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch, he can't hurt her."**

"**I didn't hurt anybody," Andy said firmly.**

"**Yeah, not yet."**

**I heard sirens and then about fifteen seconds later a fire truck passed by us.**

"**Go," Sam said.**

**Dean looked at me. He was wondering what I was gonna do. "Um, I'm gonna stay here with them," I said, and he nodded, walking back to the car.**

**Andy started to walk away, but Sam caught him by the arm. "No, you're staying here with us."**

**I watched as Dean drove away and then I turned to Andy. "Just so you know, I'm on your side. I don't think you're a killer. And I'm Alyson, by the way. The guy you took the car from, his name is Dean. And this is Sam." I pointed to Sam, who didn't seem to get why I was introducing myself. "Oh, and please don't use your mind thing on my anymore. It kinda gives me a headache."**

**Andy blinked a few times, obviously confused, but then said, "yeah, okay." And then he shrugged.**

**There were a few crates backed up against a nearby fence, so I went and got three of them. They weren't that heavy because they were plastic, but they looked sturdy enough to sit on. So the three of us sat.**

"**What exactly are we waiting for?" Andy asked, semi-nervously.**

"**For Dean to get back or to call," I answered when I realized that Sam wasn't going to. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to him," I told Sam. "At least until we find out for sure what's going on."**

"**I already know what's going on," Sam said stubbornly.**

"**I didn't kill anybody," Andy said, repeating what he'd said earlier.**

**About five minutes later, Sam's cell phone rang and he immediately put it on speakerphone even though Andy was there. "Hello?"**

"**Hey, it's me." Dean. "She's dead. Burned up just like you said."**

"**When?"**

"**Minutes before I got here. I mean, the smell hasn't even cleared. What's up with your visions, man? This wasn't even a head start."**

**I looked at Andy, who was looking at Sam curiously. Sam had already said that he had abilities like Andy, and Dean had said Sam was psychic when Andy had been controlling his mind.**

"**I don't know, all right?" Sam answered. "I can't control 'em. I don't know what the hell is going on."**

"**Sam, we were here with Andy the whole time," I said. "Someone else is doing this."**

"**That doesn't make any sense."**

"**Yeah, well, what else is new?" Dean asked. "Anyway, I'm gonna dig around here, see what else I can find."**

"**Yeah, all right," Sam said, hanging up.**

**Andy was still looking at Sam curiously, like he was a puzzle he couldn't figure out. "So, you get these visions of people about to die?" Sam nodded. "That's impossible."**

**I laughed once. "You can control minds," I reminded him, and he nodded his assent.**

"**Yeah, okay, but…death visions?"**

"**Yeah," Sam said.**

"**Dude, that sucks." I grinned at how easily Andy was accepting all this. But, mind you, he had reason to. "When I got my mind thing, it was a gift, ya know? It was-it was like I won the lotto."**

"**But you still live in a van," Sam said, confused. "I don't get it. I mean, you could have anything you ever wanted."**

**Andy smiled and shrugged. "I've got everything I need."**

**I liked this guy, he was pretty cool…even if he did take Dean's car for a little joyride. I smacked Sam on the arm. "See, I told you he was good."**

**Sam looked down at the ground and then back up at Andy. "So you're really not a killer, huh?"**

**Andy laughed. "That's what I've been tryin' to tell you."**

**Sam smiled. "That's good. It means there's hope for both of us."**

**I looked up at Sam sadly. He still thought there was a chance that he could become a killer. Then I looked in the direction of the road, hearing the Impala before it actually pulled in to park in front of us.**

**Sam, Andy, and I stood up to meet Dean as he got out of the car. "Victim's name was Holly Beckett. Forty-one, single."**

"**Who is she?" Sam asked, looking at Andy.**

**Andy shook his head. "Never heard of her."**

"**I called Ash on my way over here," Dean said. "He came up with a little somethin'. Apparently, Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in 1983. Same day you were born, Andy."**

"**Andy, were you adopted?" Sam asked, sounding like he'd just had a revelation.**

"**Well, yeah," he answered.**

"**You were?" Dean asked. "And you neglected to mention that?"**

**Andy looked in Dean's direction strangely. "It never really came up. I mean, I never knew my birth parents. And-and like you said, my adopted mom died when I was a…baby. Do you think this Holly woman was actually my-"**

"**I don't know," Dean cut him off. "I tried to get a copy of the birth records, but they're hard copy only. Sealed in the county office."**

**Andy scoffed. "Well, screw that." And then he grinned.**

"**Awesome," Dean said, knowing Andy was gonna help.**

**------------- -**

**We were in the Impala now, going to a coffee shop first, because I was seriously caffeine deprived and I was tired and I needed to stay awake until we figured this out.**

"**So, Andy?" I started, "when you asked Dean for his car, did you know we were following you then?"**

"**Nah. I just think this is a nice car," he answered, grinning. "Wanted to take it for a spin."**

**After we got my coffee, we went to the county office, where Andy had to mind-control a security guard to get us in.**

"**I probably shouldn't have let you kids in here," the guard said as Andy led him to the door.**

"**No, it'll be fine, all right? Just go get a cup of coffee." Dean and I were openly grinning, while Sam was just researching. "These aren't the droids you're looking for." Andy was imitating Obi-Wan and I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out laughing.**

"**Awesome," Dean said, and I agreed with him.**

"**Got it," Sam said, going through a file. Andy sat down beside him. "Andy, it's true. Holly Beckett was your birth mother."**

**Andy stared at the file, stunned. "Does anyone have a Vicodin?" And again, I felt like laughing. I mean, the situation was far from funny, but the way he'd said that was priceless.**

"**Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too. I mean, he oversaw the adoption. You have a solid connection to both of them," Sam said.**

"**Yeah, but I didn't kill 'em."**

"**We believe you," Dean said sincerely. "But, uh…who did?"**

"**I think I've got a pretty good guess," Sam said.. "Holly Becket gave birth to twins."**

**Andy's eyebrows shot up, stunned again. "I have…an evil twin."**

"**Holly put you and your brother up for adoption. You went to the Gallagher family, obviously. And your brother went to the Weems family from upstate."**

**Andy began staring off into space. "Hey, you okay?" I asked.**

**Andy shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. "Um…what was my brother's name?"**

"**Ansem Weems. He's got a local address" Sam answered.**

"**Wait," Andy said. "He lives here?" Sam nodded.**

"**Is there a way we can get a picture or something?" I asked.**

"**DMV," Dean answered. "I'll call Ash. Maybe he can hack in and fax us something."**

**And a few minutes later, Ash had done just that. We found out it was the Webber guy that worked at the diner.**

"**All right, Andy. Tell us everything you know about this guy," Sam said.**

"**Not much, I…Webber shows up one day, like, eight months ago, acting like he's my best friend in the world. Kind of weird, like…tryin' too hard, ya know?"**

"**He must have known you guys were twins," Dean surmised. "But why did he change his name? Why not just tell you the truth?"**

**I scoffed. "Uh, maybe because he's a psycho?"**

"**Well, there's that."**

**Sam groaned and then grabbed his head. Oh, no. He was having another vision. "Sam?" I said hesitantly, grabbing onto one of his shoulders. "What do you see?"**

**He didn't speak, just grunted in pain. I looked up at Dean with a worried expression. When Sam loosened his grip on his head, Dean squatted down in front of him. "You good now?"**

"**Oh, more or less. There was a dam and, uh, Tracy, that girl we met at the diner."**

**Andy tensed up. "What about her?"**

"**She's gonna jump. It was a big dam."**

**Andy stood up. "I think I know what you're talking about. We need to go. We have to help her." Sam, Dean, and I followed after him.**

**------------- -**

**We raced to the dam, directed by Andy. None of us knew whether or not we would be on time. When we got there, Sam and Dean got out of the car. Andy and I followed suit. Dean was getting stuff from the trunk and Sam took a gun from it and handed it to me.**

"**Wait a minute," I said, shaking my head. I didn't wanna shoot anybody.**

"**You won't have to use it," Sam reassured me. "It's just a precaution." I nodded and watched as he picked up another gun and placed it in the waistband of his jeans. "Dean, you should stay back." Sam handed me some masking tape, probably to put over Webber's mouth if we got there on time.**

"**No argument here. I've had my head screwed with enough for one day."**

"**I'm coming with you," Andy said to me and Sam.**

"**Andy, no," Sam said, shaking his head.**

"**If it's Tracy out there…then I'm coming," he replied firmly.**

"**Let him come," I said softly. "I mean, put yourself in his place."**

**Sam sighed and then looked at Andy. "Okay. I get it. Let's go."**

**Dean went off in the opposite direction. I didn't know what he was going to do. From the description of Sam's vision, Andy figured he knew where Tracy and Webber were, so Sam and I followed him.**

**We reached this old car and we saw two people in it. Sam and I were on Webber's side of the car and Andy was on Tracy's. Sam hit the driver's side window, shattering it, and shocking Webber briefly. But only briefly.**

"**You really don't wanna do this," Webber said and immediately I backed off. It wasn't a twinge this time, it was more of a push. I felt the command in my head and I tried to go against it, but I couldn't. I even dropped my gun, well, tossed it to the side, really.**

**Sam, though, was unaffected. He punched Webber and opened the door and pulled him out, pushing him on the ground. "Don't move," Sam told him, pulling his gun out on Webber. Sam looked at me. "Tape." So I put the tape on Webber's mouth.**

**I watched as Tracy got out of the vehicle and Andy started comforting her. "I couldn't control myself," she said, clearly scared and confused.**

**Andy let her go and came around and started kicking Webber, but Sam pushed him off. "Let me handle this!" Sam shouted.**

**Suddenly a voice resounded in my head. _There's a branch by your foot._ I looked down and sure enough it was there, about two feet away. _Pick it up. I want you to hit the guy I can't control with it_.**

**_Sam_, I thought. This Webber guy wanted me to hit Sam. I found myself wanting to bend down and pick the branch up, but I didn't.**

**_Do_ _it_, the voice said soothingly. That's when I started wondering _how_ Webber was doing it. He wasn't actually talking to me. When I still didn't do it, the voice because angry. _DO IT!_ The voice was no longer soothing; it was shouting.**

**I grimaced and grabbed my head. It was pounding, it felt like nails were being driven through my skull, or what I imagined that would feel like anyway. I dropped to my knees, much like Sam did sometimes when he had a vision. And if this is what they felt like, I didn't envy him for having them at all.**

**Sam dropped down beside me, forgetting about Webber for a moment. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he said. "What's the matter?"**

**_Don't tell him_, I heard the voice say. And I didn't, not because I wasn't supposed to, but because the pain intensified. I felt something warm drip out of my nose and I knew I was bleeding. **

**The voice drifted away, but my pain lingered, My vision blurred and my head felt like it was spinning and then I heard a thump and then Sam was on the ground spread out. He'd been hit.**

"**Tracy, stop!" I heard Andy say. I looked up and saw that Tracy had the branch that I was supposed to have hit Sam with. She must have picked it up while Sam had been preoccupied with me. Neither of us had noticed.**

**Tracy dropped the branch, shocked that Andy could control her. Andy turned to Webber. "How did you do that?" He must have been talking about the whole non-verbal thing.**

"**Practice, bro," Webber said, removing the tape from his mouth and standing up. "If you'd just practice, you would know. Sometimes, you don't need to use your words. If you have to, all you need is this." He pointed to his head. "Sometimes, the headache's worth it."**

**I tried getting up; it wasn't working too well. I was shaky and weak and I was pretty sure the lack of sleep wasn't helping.**

"**You're a twisted son of a bitch," Andy said. I saw him go towards Webber and then I scooted closer to Sam, trying to see if he was okay. He was breathing, but he'd been knocked unconscious.**

"**Back off, Andy," Webber said, "or Tracy's gonna do a little flying." Tracy was standing at the edge of the dam. I hadn't even see her move. "Aren't ya, Trace?" I tried standing up again. "Stay down," Webber said to me, and I didn't resist this time. No extra pain came.**

**It seemed that resisting was what had caused the pain before. That was interesting. And annoying, because I wasn't the type that just blindly followed orders. I glared up at Webber, but his attention was on Andy again.**

"**I'm stronger than you. I can do it." He was talking about making Tracy jump off the edge of the dam.**

**Andy backed away and looked at Tracy before turning back to Webber. He threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, okay. All right, just…please don't hurt her."**

"**Don't be mad at me, okay?" Webber said pleadingly. "I know it's all wrong. I didn't mean for this to happen. It's just…Tracy…she's trying to come between us."**

**Andy looked taken aback and he shook his head. "You're insane."**

"**She's garbage, man! They all are. We can push them, we can make them do whatever we want."**

**I looked over at Tracy again. I needed to get to her, but if the pain started up again, there was no way I could fight it. If Andy would just keep him distracted long enough, maybe I could do it.**

"**Are you really this stupid?" Andy asked. "Y-you learn you've got a twin, you call him up, you go out for a drink. You don't start killing people!"**

**Sam moved his head a little and I knew he was waking up. Good. I inched away from him, looking up at Webber who seemed to be caught up in the conversation he was having with Andy.**

"**I've wanted to tell you for so long, bro. But he didn't let me. He said I had to wait until the time was-"**

"**Who?" Andy interrupted.**

"**The man with the yellow eyes," Webber said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I stopped moving.**

"**What are you talking about?" Andy whispered. That was a good question and I wanted the answer. I looked at Tracy again. She was more important than the information I wanted. I started moving again.**

"**He came to me," Webber answered, "in my dream. He said I was special. He told me he's got big plans for me. Wait 'til you see what's in store, Andy, for both of us. See, he's the one who told me I had a brother, a twin."**

**_Oh, yes. And a man with yellow eyes is definitely someone you can trust_, I thought sardonically.**

"**Why did you kill our mother?" Andy asked. I was at the edge of the car now, behind them, so I tried to get up again as quietly as possible. "And-and why Dr. Jennings?"**

"**Because they split us up!" Webber yelled. "They ruined our lives, Andy. We could've been together this whole time, instead of alone. Always alone. I couldn't…I couldn't let 'em do that. I couldn't let them get away with that."**

**I saw Tracy start to rock back and forth on the edge of the dam and I lurched forward, grabbing her arm just as she toppled forward.**

**She was dangling over the ledge now and I knew I couldn't hold her forever. My strength was slowly ebbing.**

**_Let her go_, Webber's voice came through my mind and I almost did. Almost. But it seemed that my instinct to protect her was stronger than his command to kill her. I guess I found my way around the mind-control. But her weight was pulling me slowly over with her, so I screamed. I didn't want either of us going over, but I wasn't going to let her go if I could help it.**

**And, suddenly, I was being grabbed around my waist, which was good, because about fifteen seconds longer and Tracy wouldn't have been the only one who'd gone over the edge.**

"**It's okay, it's okay. I've got you." It was Sam. He pulled me and then grabbed Tracy when she got close enough.**

**I collapse and leaned against the wall of the dam, breathing heavily. I glanced in Webber's direction, but he wasn't looking at us. Or Andy, for that matter. He was glaring at a batch of trees off in the distance.**

"**I see you," he said.**

"**Dean," I whispered urgently. I picked myself up off the ground and started moving forward, but stopped when I heard a gunshot. Andy had shot Webber with a gun. I didn't know whether it was mine or Sam's. Webber fell to the ground and Andy stared at him in shock. I didn't know whether it was because he'd killed the guy or because of how Webber had been acting before, but I'd have been willing to bet it was the former.**

**Now that I knew everyone was safe, I felt the shakiness come back in full-force and my knees gave out on me making me collapse, but Sam caught me before I hit the ground and sat me down gently.**

"**You're bleeding," he said softly.**

"**Huh?" Things weren't making sense to me. Things were muddled. I still felt like my head was spinning, and my head was still hurting, but not as bad as it had been. It was just a headache now, borderline migraine. I looked at Tracy, who was crying and then it hit me, what Sam had said. "I'm bleeding?"**

"**Your nose."**

"**Oh." I'd forgotten that I'd started bleeding earlier. I wiped my nose with the back of his hand. My blood was still flowing slowly and it had trickled down to my chin. I hadn't realized it until just then.**

"**Hey, are you okay?" I heard Andy ask, but I knew he was talking to Tracy. I looked up long enough to see Tracy flinch away from Andy. Poor guy. He'd freaked her out, but I could tell that it hurt him that she didn't trust him anymore.**

**Dean came from wherever he'd been and crouched down beside me. "Hey, everybody okay?"**

"**More or less," Sam answered.**

**Dean hit me on the arm lightly. "You okay?" I looked at him and saw that he was concerned.**

"**Yeah, just a little blood. I'm good. It'll stop in a minute."**

"**Well, what started it in the first place?"**

"**Not doing what Webber wanted. It felt like my brain was gonna explode."**

**Sam got up and moved towards Tracy to help her up. Since she wouldn't accept help from Andy, he figured he'd do it.**

"**You cold or somethin'?" Dean asked. "You're shaking like crazy."**

"**It took a lot out of me, fighting him off."**

**Dean used his jacket sleeve to wipe the new blood away. "Do you feel like walking back to the car?"**

**I hesitated before shaking my head. "I kinda feel like I'm gonna pass out."**

"**You need sleep," he chided gently, caressing my cheek.**

**I leaned into his touch, "Sleep sounds good,' I agreed, practically whispering now.**

"**Okay, well, wait here. I'll be back with the car in a minute."**

"**Mm-hm," I said, giving him leave to go. He looked worriedly at me, but then he nodded and took off, walking away quickly.**

**I saw Sam take out his cell phone and I knew he was calling the cops. I wondered what we were going to come up with this time.**

**Before I knew it, Dean was back, half-carrying me to the car since I had to clutch his arms to keep from falling back to the ground. "What are we going to tell the cops about Webber?" I asked once I was in the backseat.**

**Dean got in with me and pulled me towards him and I didn't resist. "You don't need to worry about that. We'll take care of it. You just rest."**

"**I should…stay awake until we leave."**

**Dean started rubbing up and down my arm. "At least relax. If you don't want to sleep, I can't make you." A breeze was coming through the door, because it was still open and it was just as calming as Dean was.**

**I was almost asleep when I heard the sirens and I sat up a little. Cops and paramedics were pulling up. Sam came over to the car and looked in. "You feelin' better?"**

**I nodded, but then said, "I'm tired."**

"**You've been up for nearly forty hours," Sam said.**

**I looked up and around. I saw Tracy sitting in an ambulance and I saw Andy talking to the police. "What is he doing?"**

"**Telling them that Webber killed himself and that they saw it."**

"**Oh." I wondered how he was gonna sell that one. Webber had been shot in the back. I assumed that as long as the cops didn't ask questions, then Andy could mind-warp them into believing it.**

**A few minutes later Andy walked over to us sadly. "Tracy won't even look at me."**

"**Yeah, she's pretty shaken up," Sam said.**

"**No, it's…this is different. I never used my mind thing on her before…before last night. She's scared of me now."**

**I lifted my head and my eyes fell on him. "Hey, you're a good person. It shouldn't matter what she or anyone else thinks. Besides, if she cares about you as much as I think she does…then she'll come around. She'll see that you didn't have a choice."**

**Andy nodded and smiled slightly. "Thanks."**

"**Hey, Andy, I hate to do this, but, um…we have to get out of here." Sam stood up and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Here, I wrote down my cell number. You don't have to be alone in this, all right?" Sam handed the paper to Andy. "If anything comes up, you call me."**

**Andy nodded and then laughed nervously. "W-what am I supposed to do now?"**

"**You be good, Andy," Dean said seriously. "Or we'll be back." Dean dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Sam. "You're drivin', and we're gonna stop at a motel soon, all right?" Dean looked at me. "And _you_ are gonna get some sleep even if I have to knock you unconscious." I grinned a little and snuggled into his side.**

**Sam closed our door and then got into the driver's seat and started the car. "Looks like I was right," he said.**

"**About what?" Dean asked.**

"**Andy," Sam answered. "He's a killer, after all."**

"**Webber was gonna kill Tracy. He was gonna kill _Dean_. Andy stopped him," I said firmly.**

"**Bottom line, last night, he wasted somebody." We pulled out onto the road and I wrapped an arm around Dean's waist.**

"**Yeah, but he's not a foaming-at-the-mouth psycho. He was pushed into that." Dean was making more sense than Sam was.**

"**Webber was pushed, too, in his own way. Max Miller was pushed. Hell, _I_ was pushed by Jessica's death."**

"**What's your point, Sam?"**

"**Right circumstances, everyone's capable of murder. Everyone. You know, maybe that's what the demon's doing. Pushing us, finding ways to break us."**

"**Sam, we don't know what the demon wants, okay? Quit worryin' about it."**

"**You know, I heard you before, Dean, when Andy made you tell the truth. You're just as scared of this as I am."**

"**That was mind control!" Dean said indignantly. "It's like-like being Roofie'd, man. That doesn't count. I'm callin' do-over."**

"**What are you, seven?"**

"**Doesn't matter. We've gotta keep doing what we're doin', find that evil son of a bitch, and kill it."**

**Sam hesitated before answering. "Yeah. I guess."**

**I didn't mention that we couldn't kill it without the Colt, but I agreed with Dean. Things got quiet and I found myself drifting into sleep. I was safe and I was warm and I was with the two people that I loved most in the world.**

**------------- -**

**I was vaguely aware of being jostled slightly and then being lifted up into somebody's arms. Dean's, I imagined. I felt myself immediately bring my arms up around his neck and my head rested on his shoulder.**

"**Where are we?" I asked softly.**

"**A motel." Yep, it was Dean.**

"**Mm." I nestled in closer, as close as this position would allow, and reveled in the comfort that came from being like this.**

**I heard a door open and close, and I surmised that Sam was with us, since there was no way Dean could have opened a door, because he was carrying me. I felt him lay me down on a bed and then his arms were unwrapping from around me, but I felt the mattress move a little and knew he was still there. Then I felt something soft and warm drape over me. Dean had tucked me in, bringing the covers up almost to my chin.**

**My body was pretty much drawn do his like magnets were drawn to refrigerators. I wasn't even completely alert and it was like…well, I didn't know what exactly it was like, but my head was on his chest now and I let out a little sound of contentment before I let exhaustion take me over again.**

**------------- -**

**When I woke up I felt that my hand was on something warm and kinda soft. When I opened my eyes I realized that my hand was on Dean's bare skin; it had traveled inside his shirt sometime after I'd gone to sleep. It was resting on his stomach, and I had no intention of moving it.**

**I looked up to see if he was still sleeping, but he wasn't. He was looking at me lovingly and then he looked kind of embarrassed to have been caught at it.**

"**No nightmare?" he asked quietly.**

**I grinned. "No nightmare." I'd probably been to tired to dream. I began rubbing slow lazy circles around the spot my hand had been on. "My headache's gone, too, by the way."**

"**Well, that's good," I heard Sam's voice come from behind me and I glanced over at him. "We got kinda worried there for a minute."**

"**Just for a minute?" I asked jokingly, and I felt Dean laugh against my hand.**

**Sam grinned and shook his head, making his hair fall into his eyes. "Anyway, Ellen called while you were asleep, so I think we should swing by the Roadhouse."**

"**Does she have a case for us?" I asked, removing my hand from Dean's shirt and sitting up.**

"**Nah, she just said she wanted to talk to us and that she couldn't do it over the phone."**

"**Oh, okay, well, we better get going then, right?" I started to get up, but Dean pulled me back down on the bed, which made me laugh a little. "Or not?"**

"**We don't have to be in a hurry," he said. "Besides, I wanna take a shower."**

"**Well, I was gonna go brush my teeth," I said, looking at the bathroom door.**

"**I know, that's why I pulled you back down. I wanna go first." And, I swear, he sounded like a little kid when he said that, which almost made me give in. But I didn't.**

"**But it doesn't take as long to brush my teeth. I'd be in and out before you know it."**

**Sam got up from the bed and said, "well, while you two argue it out, _I'm_ gonna go take a shower." He got some clothes, walked to the bathroom, and shut the door after going in.**

**Dean and I looked at each other with the same exasperated expression, but it was mixed with a little amusement. We _had_ been acting like children, and we knew it.**

**My mind went back to what my hand had been doing earlier and I wondered if it would be appropriate to resume doing it, picking up where I'd left off. I mean, we hadn't had much _us_ time recently and I wanted it. A lot.**

**I turned towards him and looked at him. He looked peaceful for the first time in a long time, so I wondered if this was the best time to bring this up. I heard the water in the bathroom come on and I scooted closer to Dean. I realized he'd never have to be needy with me. If anything, he'd push me away. I was being clingy, and I'd never been clingy with anyone or anything before. But Dean didn't seem to mind too much. Dean needed to be needed. He always had. He needed for the people he cared about to need him.**

**Anyway, I think the reason I clung onto him so hard was because with the job we had, you could never be sure of anything. You never knew when someone was gonna disappear. Just thinking about Dean going away made my heart fill with dread. It made me feel cold and empty inside. I pushed that thought as far away as possible, not wanting to let it linger any longer than necessary.**

"**Hey, Dean, can I talk to you?"**

"**Sure, but since when do you need permission? Or ask for it, for that matter?"**

**I smiled slightly, but then the seriousness of what I was trying to convey hit me full force. "Um…I'm kinda nervous, talking about his, but, uh-" I broke off and swallowed hard. "Wow, this is harder than I thought it would be."**

"**Okay, you're at a loss for words here and you're kinda scaring me. What's up?"**

**I looked at the bed sheet and started talking. "Well, it's just we've been together for a month now and you've been great." I winced when I realized it sounded like I was trying to break up with him rather than move the relationship forward a little. "You've been really patient with me." I looked up at him. "And I just realized that I'm ready to take it a step further." I blushed when I said that, not because I was lying, but because I knew what that would insinuate. "I mean, I don't think I'm ready to do _everything_, but I'm willing to try other stuff."**

**Now that I'd gotten that out, I felt relieved. But then when Dean didn't respond, I got worried. "Say something," I demanded.**

**It took him a second, but he obeyed. "Are you sure?" he asked gently. "I mean, like you said, it's only been a month."**

"**I'm sure that I want to try." I paused, breathing in sharply. "I-I mean if you want to." My insecurities started rolling in. "I know that you have this hands-off approach with me, and I love you for it, and I still wanna take it one step at a time, but I think I'm ready to take the next step."**

**Okay, I was shaking again, and it had nothing to do with something unnatural being around. I had a fear of being rejected by the one I cared about most. In other words…Dean.**

"**Hey, hey, relax," Dean said, bringing his hands up to cup my face. He smiled softly and I knew he wasn't going to push me away, so I did what he'd asked and relaxed. "And if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."**

**I nodded, breathing easy now that this conversation was over. But then, I realized that I'd kind of let it slip that I loved him, but either he hadn't got it or he was ignoring it, because he didn't address it. I'd said I loved him for the whole hands-off thing he had with me. I mean, he'd kissed me, that was true, but he hadn't even gone anywhere near the vicinity of bad touching-or good touching, depending on the way you looked at it.**

**But it was the simple fact that he hadn't tried anything that made _me _want to try something. It was because I knew that if I changed my mind he wouldn't hate me for it, and he wouldn't push me into doing something I didn't want to do.**

**------------- -**

**By the time we got to the Roadhouse it was nighttime and it had passed closing, so aside from Ellen, Jo, and Ash, we were the only ones there.**

**Ellen was behind the bar and Jo was cleaning the tables. Sam, Dean, and I were sitting on stools. Dean and I had decided that what Jo didn't know, wouldn't hurt her. We just wouldn't be overt about our being together. At least for now.**

"**Jo? Go pull up another case of beer," Ellen said.**

"**Mom," she protested.**

"**Now. Please?" Jo did as she asked and went towards the back room, and Ellen turned to us. "So, you wanna tell me about this last hunt of yours?"**

"**No, not really," Dean said bluntly, earning himself a glare from Ellen. "Look, no offense…just, it's kind of a family thing."**

"**Not anymore," Ellen said, pulling some papers out from behind the counter and placing them on top of them. "I got this stuff from Ash. Andrew Gallagher's house burnt down on his six-month birthday, just like your house. You think it was the demon both times, don't you? You think it went after Gallagher's family."**

**Both Sam and Dean looked at the papers, but only Sam answered. "Yeah, we think so."**

"**Sam," Dean said warningly.**

"**Why?" Ellen asked, ignoring Dean for now.**

"**None of your business."**

**Now she looked at Dean. "You mind your tone with me, boy. This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad is coming, and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards. Now, at best, all we've got is us, together, no secrets or half-truths here." Then she looked at me. Maybe she thought I was the weakest link or something. "Now what are we dealing with here?" I didn't break easily.**

**And it wasn't that I didn't like her or that I didn't know where she was coming from, because I did, on both counts. But the fact of the matter was that my loyalty belonged to Sam and Dean, not to her. And if they didn't want her to know, then I wasn't gonna tell her. So I looked away from her.**

**Things were silent for a while, but then Sam started speaking. "There are people out there, like Andrew Gallagher…like me. And, um…we all have some kind of ability."**

"**Ability?"**

"**Yeah…a psychic ability." Dean tensed beside me, and I placed a hand on his leg and squeezed gently. "Me-I have visions…premonitions. I don't know, it'd different for everybody. The demon said he had plans for people like us."**

"**What kind of plans?"**

"**We don't really know for sure," Sam said honestly.**

"**These people out there, these psychics…are they dangerous?"**

"**No," Dean and I said. "Not all of them," he added.**

"**But some are," Sam said. "Some are _very_ dangerous."**

"**Okay, how many of 'em are we lookin' at?"**

"**We've been able to track a clear pattern so far. They've all had house fires on the night of the kids six-month birthday," Dean put in.**

"**That's not true," Sam said quietly. "Webber, or Ansem Weems, or whatever his name was…I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. He was nothing out of the ordinary."**

"**Which breaks pattern," Ellen reiterated. "So, if there's any others like him, there'll be nothing in the system. No way to track 'em all down."**

"**And so, who knows how many of them are really out there?" Dean said, more to himself than anyone else.**

"**And you're connected to this how?" Ellen asked me curiously.**

**Jo came back with the beer and started putting it away. I clenched my mouth shut, but then rolled my eyes, relenting. What the hell, right? Everything was being laid out on the table anyway. "Demon killed my mom, too. In June."**

"**The same demon?" Jo asked and I nodded slightly. "Wow. No wonder they took you with 'em."**

"**Yeah. Well, he sent a demon to kill her anyway."**

"**Why?" Ellen asked me. "What did you mom have to do with anything?"**

"**She didn't. He wanted me." I paused. "He's scared of me for some reason, as are other demons. I don't know why." Or, more precisely, I didn't believe why. **

* * *

So, anyway, yeah...as always thanks to those who took the time review, and I hope you continue to do so.


	11. No Exit Part One

**No Exit  
Part One**

**After we'd talked to Ellen, she'd offered to let us use the beds in the back, which were in the same room, so that's where the three of us were now. Settling down for the night.**

"**Do you really think it was a good idea to tell them everything?" Dean asked both Sam and me. We hadn't actually told them everything. I'd left out most of my stuff. They didn't know anything about my abilities at all. He sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked his boots off.**

"**Dean, they can help. They deserve to know," Sam said, doing the same thing Dean was doing.**

"**Yeah, but what if someone else finds out?"**

"**Well, we'll burn that bridge when we come to it," I said. Meaning we'd take care of it. I started brushing my hair and watched as Dean pulled his shirt off. I smiled slightly. I'd never slept beside him when he didn't have his shirt on.**

**I laughed once, suddenly remembering the first time I'd seen his bare chest. It had been when I'd first started traveling with them and he'd come out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower, water glistening over his skin, and he'd only been wearing a towel. It had been embarrassing to me then; it was kind of sexy to me now. Okay, _fully_ sexy.**

**I was snapped back to reality, literally, because Dean snapped his fingers in front of my face. He was standing in front of me now.**

"**Huh?" I asked, shaking my head to clear the thoughts away.**

"**What's up? You laughed and then you sorta zoned out."**

"**Oh, um…nothing. Just thinking." I was blushing now. I could feel it. "Um…not anything to worry about."**

"**Okay." Dean sounded like he thought I was a few fries short of a happy-meal.**

**Sam laughed. "She was having perverted thoughts."**

**Oh, wow. Was I that transparent? "What? No, I wasn't." My voice was unnaturally high, so, of course, they'd be able to tell I was lying. They could always tell when I was lying.**

"**Yes, you were." Sam seemed to find that fact highly amusing.**

**I glared at him and shook my head furiously. I didn't know why I was trying to deny it. I mean, it's not like it was a bad thing, really. Dean in a towel was a very good thing, actually. A very hot, sexy, good thing.**

**Dean sat down on the bed again. "They were about me, right?"**

"**Yes," I said distractedly, and then closed my eyes when I realized I'd answered honestly. I took a deep breath, accepting it. "Okay, so I'm a pervert. But I'm okay with that." I reopened my eyes and saw them both staring at me, so I smiled innocently and resumed brushing my hair. I'd stopped because I'd been lost in my thoughts. "You guys know you love me."**

"**We surely do," Dean said quietly, but I heard it loud and clear. Dean loved me. I mean, he hadn't actually said those words exactly, but it was close enough. That was one of those moments where you feel like jumping up and down in excitement because you're so happy. But you don't do it because you don't want anyone to think you're crazy. So I settled for smiling widely at Dean to let him know that I got it, and he grinned in return.**

"**All right, we should get to sleep so we can hit the road in the morning," Dean said after our moment was over.**

**After the tangles were out of my hair, I got on the bed beside him and slowly, but thoroughly kissed him before resting my head on his chest.**

**------------- -**

**When I woke up, I heard the guys talking about an evil cult in Los Angeles. But then Dean said something about Katie Holmes and I knew they were joking. Scientology and all that.**

**I rolled my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but then I heard yelling. It sounded like Jo and Ellen. Uh-oh. Friction in the ranks was never good.**

**I sat up, giving up on going back to sleep. Sam and Dean got up to go to the door; they were going to eavesdrop. I was going to tell them that this was none of their business, but I was vaguely interested, myself, about what the two women were arguing about. I'd rarely ever fought with my mom, so I was wondering why Ellen and Jo were yelling at each other.**

**I sat up, saw that Dean was still shirtless, so I picked the one he'd had on the night before off the floor and threw it at him. I mean, I didn't want Jo having a heart attack from seeing that.**

**Sam opened the door as Dean put his shirt back on. I heard Ellen yelling, "I am your mother. I don't have to be reasonable."**

"**You can't keep me here," Jo shouted back.**

"**Don't you bet on that, sweetie."**

"**What are you gonna do? Are you gonna chain me up in the basement?" Jo was being sarcastic, of course, but I wouldn't have suggested that while I was arguing with someone who was trying to keep me around.**

"**You know what? You've had worse ideas than that recently." Ellen said. Sam, Dean, and I peaked through the crack in the door. Ellen was cleaning the tables and Jo was glaring at her. "Hey, if you don't wanna stay, don't stay. Go back to school."**

"**I didn't belong there," Jo exclaimed. "I was a freak with a knife collection."**

"**Yeah, but getting yourself killed in some dusty backroad, _that's_ where you belong?" Ellen asked.**

**Oh, I got it. They were fighting mostly because Jo wanted to hunt, and Ellen was worried. As she should be. I mean, hunting was dangerous, especially if you did it by yourself.**

**Our door creaked and Ellen's gaze fell on us. "Guys, bad time."**

**I was okay with that, so I took Sam and Dean by the arm and began to pull them back into the room.**

"**Wait," Jo said. "I wanna know what they think about this."**

"**I don't care what they think," Ellen said seriously.**

**The phone rang and Jo stood there stubbornly, she wasn't going to answer it. Ellen sighed in frustration before going behind the bar to answer the phone.**

**Jo grabbed a folder from the counter and brought it over to us, holding it out for Dean to take, which he didn't. "Take it, it won't bite."**

"**No, but your mom might," he said, making me grin. He reluctantly took the file and started sifting through it.**

"**Three weeks ago, a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment. And this girl wasn't the first." I looked at the file, looking around Dean to see. There was a map with black x's on it, and articles about how the missing women cases were stumping the police. Go figure. "Over the past eighty years, six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young blondes." I felt my hair, wondering whether mine counted or not. It was blond, but kinda like a dirty-blond. "Only happens every decade or two, so cops never eyeball the pattern. So, we're either dealing with one very old serial-killer or-"**

"**Who put this together?" Dean interrupted. "Ash?"**

"**I did it myself," Jo said proudly. I understood that. Dean had basically compared her work to Ash's. I'd be proud, too.**

"**We've hit the road for a lot less," Sam said to Dean.**

**Dean looked at me. "What do you think?"**

**I shrugged. "It could be something supernatural, something worth checking out. But I'm good with whatever you guys decide."**

**Ellen hung up the phone and came over to us. "Why don't you guys take the case?" Ellen asked hopefully and sort of demanding, too.**

"**Mom," Jo protested.**

"**Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. I won't lose you, too. I just won't."**

**And that brought on a moment of awkward silence before Sam said softly, "okay, we'll take it."**

"**Well, I'm coming with you," Jo said.**

"**No, you're not," both Dean and Ellen said.**

"**Why not?" Jo asked furiously. "Alyson's a girl and she gets to hunt. And she's younger than I am."**

"**Hey. How about we leave me out of this conversation, okay?" I didn't want Ellen's ire to be turned to me. "And you mom is worried about you. That's a good thing. You shouldn't take that for granted." My mom wasn't around to be worried anymore. Neither was Sam and Dean's. I didn't say that out loud, but everyone got my meaning anyway. Ellen looked touched and thankful that I'd said that. Jo looked pretty much defeated, like maybe she'd thought I would've agreed with her.**

**Truth was, I saw both sides of the story. Jo wanted to hunt, why, I didn't know. But Ellen, like a good mother should be, was worried that she'd get hurt.**

"**Yeah," Jo said, disappointment coloring her voice. "Okay.**

**Ellen breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."**

**Since that conversation was over Sam, Dean, and I went back in our room and started packing our stuff.**

"**I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case," Sam said, neatly folding a shirt before putting it in the overnight bag he had.**

"**Yeah, she did a good job with that file, picking up that pattern and all," I said, complimenting it.**

"**I'll give her that," Dean agreed. "But could you see her out there, working one of those things? I don't think so. I mean, she'd probably get herself killed."**

"**Because she's a girl?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.**

"**No," Dean said seriously. "Because she's never done it before." He mock-glared at me. "You know I'm not into that sexist crap. I mean, I'm teaching you to hunt, aren't I?"**

"**Yeah, but I have you and Sam there to watch out for me. Jo wouldn't have anyone."**

"**Exactly. Like I said, she'd probably get herself killed. Not to mention, she doesn't have your assets. Your whole healing thing."**

"**Okay, so," Sam said, breaking in, "we're looking at a two day drive. We better get going." So we did.**

**------------- -**

**Turns out two day drives suck. We were only three hours in and I was already bored. And stiff. We'd need to stop for gas soon, so I'd be able to stretch then.**

**We hadn't talked much about the case because there wasn't much to talk about. Jo had pretty much said it all.**

**Six blond women had disappeared from this building. It only happened every now and then, the cops hadn't seen the pattern. And then we'd learned from the articles in the file that there had been no signs of a break-in at all each time it had happened.**

**I absentmindedly started stroking my hair, just as I'd done the first time I'd heard about the victims hair color. "Um, guys, you do realize that my hair color is a form of blond, right? So this thing could come after me."**

"**The thought has crossed my mind once or twice," Dean said tensely. "Which is why you're not to leave our sight. One of us is to be with you at all times."**

"**Sounds okay to me," I said quickly. "Getting kidnapped isn't something I wanna do again soon. Or _ever_ again, actually." I said it jokingly, but I was being completely serious.**

"**Hey, we're not gonna let that happen," Sam said firmly. "We weren't ready last time, but we won't let our guard down again."**

"**Good," I said quietly, having a moment of vulnerability.**

**The dreams had pretty much gone away, but the memories had stayed. Not everything associated with that event was bad, though.**

**For the first two days after I got out of the hospital, I couldn't move easily. I couldn't sit or stand up straight, because it would make my stomach hurt. Dean had been there every step of the way. He'd made it seem like my pain was his pain. That he was hurting because I was hurting. I remembered hating being helpless, I was hardly ever helpless and it sucked. I'd refused both Sam's and Dean's help at first, but after I'd let myself be vulnerable enough to accept Dean's help, it had been good. I let that memory of the first day take me over. There was nothing else to occupy my mind.**

_**I'd been having a nightmare. I woke up, screaming in fear. The fear had changed to pain shortly after, though, because when I'd woken up, I'd sprung up from the bed, stretching my stomach fully in the process and I could practically feel the wounds open up again.**_

_**They'd been healing faster than a normal person's would, but way slower that what was normal for me. I still thought it had to do with how much blood I'd lost. I mean, yes, I'd had a blood transfusion, but that had only been to stabilize me. I didn't think my body had replenished all the blood yet.**_

_**The light was suddenly on and Dean was grabbing me by the shoulders, much like he'd done when I'd been in the hospital. Sam was standing by the bed, looking worried and maybe a little panicked. I'd probably scared both of them half to death.**_

_**After I'd calmed down enough to talk, I said I was sorry and that I was fine. I'd been lying but they let me get away with it. For now.**_

"_**I'm…I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I said, beginning to move, but freezing in place when I started hurting. It felt like they were cutting into me again, and I knew that I was bleeding.**_

"_**Here, let me help you," Dean said. It was kind of awkward, because he couldn't grab me by the waist because that was where most of my wounds were and he didn't want to irritate them. And I couldn't lift my arms too high to grab onto him because that would stretch my wounds and reopen them more than they already were.**_

_**But we got there eventually. And even then I couldn't stand up straight, so I hunched my way to the bathroom door.**_

"_**Do you need me to come in there with you?"**_

"_**I'm good to go," I said, going into the bathroom and shutting the door quietly. I leaned against the door for a minute and rubbed my hands over my face. I felt like I wanted to cry, but I knew that would do more harm than good at that point.**_

_**I breathed in deeply-even that hurt-and moved to the mirror. I needed to sit down, but I couldn't sit straight up, so it didn't matter anyway. I lifted my shirt up a little and saw all I needed to see. My bandages were getting red. Blood was seeping through. Oh, I'd really done it this time.**_

_**I put my shirt back down over it-good thing it was black-knowing I needed to change the bandages soon, but I didn't want to do it in front of the guys. They already blamed themselves enough for what had happened to me, they didn't need to see the damage again.**_

_**Not to mention, it was hard for me to let someone take care of me. When I'd been living with me mom, I'd had to be the responsible one, and it was hard to give up that control sometimes.**_

_**I mean, they knew it was easy to reopen a fresh wound, but the doctor had told me and them that I was healing fast. Well, apparently not fast enough. I'd never take my healing instantly for granted again.**_

"_**Dean," I called out and he came in immediately. He must have been right outside. "I think I should try to get a separate room. I mean, Sam needs his sleep. So do you. I think I scared you guys silly."**_

"_**Yeah. I'll go see if I can get us one."**_

"_**Us?" I questioned. "You don't have to-"**_

"_**I'm not leaving you alone," Dean said, leaving no room for argument. So I nodded once to let him know it was okay, not that it mattered. He would've done it anyway.**_

_**When he got back, he helped me get my stuff together. Well, he did it himself, actually, and I just stood there.**_

_**Turns out, the only few rooms that were left were on the other side of the motel, which made me feel bad for leaving Sam alone. But I figured he would understand.**_

_**When we got in our room Dean turned to me. "How bad are you hurt?"**_

"_**I'm fine," I said automatically.**_

"_**Yeah, sure you are." Dean wasn't convinced. "I know you, and I know that you're in more pain than you should be. Let me help you."**_

_**I sighed. "Dean, I'm fine. I can change the bandages myself. I'm good at taking care of myself. I've been doing it my whole life."**_

_**I realized how stupid that sounded, considering how I'd be dead about ten times over without him and Sam watching out for me, but I didn't take it back. I'd never been hurt like this before and I'd never had to be looked after directly speaking. Or something to that affect. I mean, it made sense in my head anyway.**_

_**That is, until I realized that Dean looked hurt, like I'd slapped him in the face. Oh, God. I hadn't meant to hurt him. Not like that. Dean needed to be needed and I'd basically told him that I didn't need him, which wasn't true at all. I needed him like I needed air to breathe. As pathetic as it sounded, he was my life force now.**_

"_**I'm sorry," I whispered.**_

"_**No, it's fine. You know, whatever." He tossed my bag on the bed and turned his back to me.**_

"_**No, it's not fine. I shouldn't have said that, that way. I just…I'm not good at letting people take care of me. Physically." He turned back around, confusion replacing the hurt that I'd put there. "I'm usually the one who takes care of the people around me…and not the other way around. I grew up taking care of myself and taking care of my mom." I paused. "It's sort of a hard habit to break."**_

"_**Like you take care of me?" he asked softly and I nodded. "So, let me take care of you. That's what people who are in a relationship do. Take care of each other. I mean, you've done nothing but be there for me since I met you. Let me be there for you. You don't have to be strong all the time."**_

_**My breath caught in my throat, but I said okay anyway.**_

"_**So, how bad are you hurt?" he asked again.**_

"_**I don't know. I'm bleeding again. I ripped something when I sat up. I need to change my bandages."**_

_**He blinked a few times and then led me to the bathroom. "You're bleeding and yet you wasted time arguing with me?"**_

"_**Yes, because I'm stubborn like that."**_

_**He shook his head, looking like he knew exactly how stubborn I was, but that he wouldn't change it for the world. I mean, my stubbornness was one of the reasons I was still alive.**_

_**He helped me get my shirt off without me having to lift my arms much. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you were bleeding." He helped me up onto the counter, my feet dangling like a child's. He slowly unwrapped the bandages from around me, watching my face the whole time, probably looking for any sign of extra discomfort. But there wasn't any.**_

_**After the bandages were off, I saw Dean glance down, concerned. I didn't have to look, I could feel the blood dripping slowly down towards the pajama pants I had on. Dean threw the bandages away and then he began to repair the damage I had done, cleaning the wounds so they wouldn't get infected. I didn't know if I could get infected.**_

_**It sounded stupid even in my head, but out of all the time we'd spent together, this seemed the most intimate physically. I mean, we'd kissed, but this was me laying my vulnerability out for him to see. This was me letting him know that I wasn't perfect and yet he was still accepting me anyway**_

"**Hey." Sam's hand waved in front of my face twice, bringing me out of my very long and vivid memory. "You're spacing again."**

**I grinned, swatting at his hand. "I was bored." That explained everything. I realized we were sitting still and looked around. We were at the gas station I'd known we needed to stop at. I thought about getting out to stretch, but then realized I didn't need to anymore.**

**Dean wasn't at the gas pump, so I assumed he was in the store. I'd assumed right, because a few minutes later, he came out holding two soda's and a water, which was mine.**

**When he got in the car, Dean handed us our drinks and then started the car. _Surrender_, by Cheap Trick came on.**

**My water bottle was ice cold, so I grinned mischievously and brought it up to the back of his neck and held it there, making him jump a little. I brought the bottle back down to my lap.**

"**Hey!" he said loudly, and Sam and I started laughing. "That was cold."**

"**Yes, that was the point, Dean."**

"**Hm." He didn't sound angry, so I knew he was just messing with me. I scooted up closer to the front seat and wrapped my arms around him from behind.**

"**I love you," I whispered in his ear closest to the window so that Sam wouldn't hear, kissing the nape of his neck where my bottle had touched, before settling in the backseat again and singing along to the radio.**

**------------- -**

**Sam and Dean had switched seats every now and then until we got to Philadelphia. Sam would sleep when Dean was driving and vice versa. And I slept whenever I wanted.**

**When we got to the apartment building, we went to the one the latest girl had gone missing from, and Sam picked the lock.**

**They both had EMF meters, but they weren't getting much, and I wasn't either. But I'd learned that I couldn't always tell when something was around. Like the time Dean had been in the hospital-I shuddered just thinking about that-I hadn't been able to sense the Reaper lady, Tessa. I had a pretty good theory as to why that was, and it was because death was a natural part of life, so there was nothing supernatural about it. She had a job to do it and she did it.**

**I'd also learned that my body reacted differently to different things. Like I'd learned demons and spirits gave me the chills, whereas that zombie chick, Angela, had made me feel like my stomach was turning.**

**But here, in this apartment, I wasn't getting anything. But that didn't mean there wasn't anything here.**

**Dean moved further into the room, and Sam turned to go towards a hallway, but his meter went off. He moved towards wherever it was pointing to.**

**Oh…a light socket. That was weird. There was black gooey stuff on it. "Ew." Sam went to touch it, but I grabbed his hand. "Maybe you shouldn't. We don't even know what it is."**

"**Yes, we do," Dean said. Now he was touching it. "That's ectoplasm." Oh, so it was a ghost.**

"**Holy crap," Sam said.**

"**Well, guys, I think I know what we're dealing with here," Dean said. Sam and I looked at him expectantly. "It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man."**

**I rolled my eyes, but grinned at the same time. "It's a ghost," I said. "A powerful one."**

"**Yeah, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice. I mean, to make this stuff, you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit." Sam looked closer at the stuff.**

"**All right," Dean said. "Well, let's find this badass before he snags anymore girls."**

**We left the room and started walking down the hallway, but then we heard voices.**

"**This is convenient and spacious, too. You know, my friend told me that I absolutely had to come and check it out, and I have to admit that she was right. You did a really good job with this place."**

**To my surprise, Jo rounded the corner. She seemed to be talking to who could only be the superintendent.**

"**What the hell are you doin' here?" Dean asked, caught by surprise as well.**

"**There you are, honey," she said, walking up to us and wrapping her arm around Dean's waist. "This is my boyfriend, Dean, and his buddy, Sam." She looked in my direction. "That's Alyson. She's the one who told me about this place."**

**I smiled at the superintendent, but inside I was seething. I wanted to tell her to take her hands off the merchandise, but that would definitely blow our cover.**

"**Good to meet you." He looked at Dean. "Quite a gal you've got here."**

"**Oh yeah, she's a pistol," Dean said, forcing a grin.**

"**So, did you already check out the apartment?" she asked, and Dean looked at her like she was crazy. "The one for rent?" she specified.**

"**Y-yeah," Dean answered. "Loved it. Great flow."**

"**How'd you get in?" the superintendent guy asked.**

"**It was open."**

"**Now, Ed," Jo started, drawing the attention back to her. "When did the last tenant move out?"**

"**Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stiffed me for the rent."**

**Jo smiled widely. "Well, her loss, our gain. 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, then it's good enough for me."**

"**Oh, sweetie." He hit her on the back a little harder than was necessary, which knocked the smile off her face. But put one on mine.**

**Jo pulled a wad of money out of her pocket. "We'll take it."**

**I watched as Ed took the money, stunned, and began walking away. Dean immediately moved away from Jo.**

"**You know, we weren't actually planning on staying here," Dean said. He looked back and forth between Jo and me. We were both blondes, granted she was blonder than me.**

**We began walking to the apartment she'd just paid for and when we walked in, I had to admit, it wasn't that bad, but it looked more like an artist's studio than anything else. But it was already furnished, so that was a plus.**

"**Does your mother even know you're here?" Dean asked, sitting on the kitchen table.**

"**I told her I was going to Vegas."**

"**You think she's gonna buy that?" Dean was skeptical.**

"**I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos." I shook my head and her gaze fell on me. "What? You never lied to your mom?"**

"**No. I didn't. I never had anything to lie to my mom about. I always figured that if she didn't want me doing something, it was for my own good, so I usually listened, and when I didn't I was up front about it." Truth was, my mom trusted me to do what was right in the first place, so she didn't have to tell me what to do.**

"**You shouldn't be here," Dean said to Jo.**

**Jo looked at Sam and then back at Dean. "Well, I am, so untwist your boxers and deal with it."**

"**Hey, where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asked.**

"**Working at the Roadhouse," Jo said obviously.**

"**Hunters don't tip that well," Dean argued.**

"**Well, they aren't that good at poker, either." Jo smiled smartly at him.**

**I shook my head. Oh dear, this was going to be a long hunt if they were gonna keep this up. I looked at Sam. "Maybe we should go get the stuff out of the car. You guys are gonna need weapons in case this thing shows up."**

"**You know what? That's a great idea," Dean said. "I'll come with you." Or he would have if his phone hadn't started ringing. "Yeah?" he answered. "Oh, hi, Ellen."**

"**Don't you tell her," Jo insisted quietly.**

"**I'm tellin' her." Dean placed his hand over the mouthpiece so Ellen couldn't hear.**

**I started laughing silently. They were bickering like siblings would. I still thought it was going to be a long hunt, though. I went towards the door. "Come on, Sam. By the time we get done everything should be settled."**

**Sam and I went out the door and walked in companionable silence for a little while, but Sam broke it by asking whether or not I was okay with Jo being here.**

"**Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"**

"**Uh, maybe because she was all over Dean?"**

**I shrugged. "But Dean wasn't all over her. And that's what matters."**

**Sam smiled slightly. "You're pretty laid-back relationship-wise. Most girls would've freaked out."**

**Again, I shrugged. "There's nothing to freak out about. I mean, Jo doesn't even know that Dean and I are together, so…I can't be mad at her. Not really."**

**We got outside to the car and Sam popped the trunk and started putting stuff in a bag. "Hey, Sam?" I asked, opening the back car door and grabbing my bag of clothes.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**If I ask you a question, do you promise not to bring it up to Dean until I say it's okay?"**

**Sam looked at me cautiously. "Depends. Does he need to know? Are you in trouble?"**

**I laughed, shaking my head. "No more than normal." He grinned. "No, um, what I wanna ask you is about Dean, actually."**

"**Oh." He looked relieved, and he resumed packing. "Okay, shoot."**

"**Would he be mad if I spent money on him? Or, ya know, would he get uncomfortable or anything?"**

**He looked up at me suspiciously. "Why?"**

"**Um, I was kinda thinking about doing something special for his birthday."**

**He laughed. "It's the beginning of November. His birthday isn't until the end of January. Why are you worried about it now?"**

"**Because I want to know if both of you would agree to it." I picked up both Sam's and Dean's bags of clothes. "And I would kinda need your help with some of the stuff. Ya know, like making sure we don't have a job that week. And then, I can't buy alcohol, and you know Dean's gonna want that."**

**Sam finished packing and put the bag over his shoulder. "Well, what exactly are you planning?"**

"**Not anything huge. Just, ya know, maybe renting a place out for a week or so. So we can relax. I mean, you're totally invited. I'm not excluding you. But I know that you'd accept that. I don't wanna make things weird between Dean and me by doing something like that."**

"**No, I think…I think he'd like that," Sam said, closing the trunk. "I mean, with everything that's happened, it'll be nice to do something normal."**

"**Okay, good. So, where should we go? Where would Dean wanna go? I was thinking like maybe something in the mountains. Or maybe, I should pick somewhere warm with a lake nearby or something."**

"**Either would be good,' Sam answered and then grinned. "We can discuss details later, but we're gonna have to rent it under a fake name. Don't want anything to crash in."**

**I groaned. "Yeah, that would suck.**

**We walked back into the building and went to the room. Dean was pacing back and forth, and Jo was sitting at the table, which had a blueprint of the building on it, along with articles and pictures that had been in the file she'd given us. She was twirling a small knife in her hand.**

"**You're staying?" She nodded. I looked at Dean and then back at her. "You promise you won't try and kill each other?"**

"**I'll behave if he does."**

"**Good enough," I replied.**

**Sam sat down on the opposite side of Jo and started unloading the weapons from the bag onto the table. He was going to go through them and make sure all of them were ready to use if and when we needed them.**

"**Anyway, this place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago," Jo said, looking back at Dean.**

"**Yeah? And what was here before 1924?" Dean asked, challenging her. As I'd said before, this was going to be a long hunt. A long, fun-filled hunt. Better break out the headache medication now.**

"**Nothing. An empty field," Jo answered, continuing to twirl the knife.**

"**So, most likely scenario," Sam started, "someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell."**

"**No, I already checked," Jo stated. "In the past eighty-two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor." She paused and then sighed. "Would you sit down, please?"**

**She was talking to Dean, who stopped pacing and looked my way. I shrugged and he smirked, coming over to the table to take a seat. I had been leaning against the table, but when he'd passed by me, he'd grabbed me by the waist to bring me down on his lap.**

**I held my breath, waiting for Jo to go off, but she didn't. She just looked disappointed, and maybe a little hurt. I felt bad for her.**

"**So, have you checked the police reports? County death records?" Dean was challenging her again, which I didn't think he needed to be doing while he was within striking distance and she had a knife in her hand.**

"**Yes. Obituaries, mortuary reports, and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing," Jo said sharply. So, yeah, she was definitely hurt.**

"**I think the jury's still out on that one," Dean said. "And could you put the knife down?"**

**I shook my head, annoyed. "Could you two please try to get along? We're gonna be working together on this, and the longer you two keep bickering, the longer you'll have to be around each other."**

**Everything was silent for a minute. It was an uncomfortable silence, but things were quiet, all the same.**

"**Thank you," I said softly, grabbing hold of Dean's arm, which was still around my waist, and squeezing gently to let him know that I wasn't mad at him, but he needed to behave.**

"**Okay," Sam said loudly. "So, no violent deaths. It's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought the spirit with it."**

"**We've gotta scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?" Jo asked.**

"**Right," Dean agreed. "You, me, and Alyson will take the top two floors." Dean made like he was gonna stand up, so I got off his lap.**

"**We'd move faster if we split up," Jo said, standing up to face him.**

"**Oh, this isn't negotiable." Dean smirked mirthlessly. "You two are coming with me."**

"**You know, I should really go with Sam," I said, not wanting to hear them bicker the whole time.**

"**No, you should come with me, to help Jo and me get along," Dean said, and I groaned helplessly.**

"**Fine, just hurry up so we can get this over with," I said snappily.**

**Jo looked in my direction. "Am I getting that you want me to be somewhere else?"**

**I sighed. "No, that's not it," I replied honestly. "Really. It's just, behave, okay? Even if Dean doesn't." I looked at Dean now. "And don't you start anything."**

"**I wasn't doin' anything," he said indignantly. "I'm…I'll be good. Promise."**

**I smiled slightly, appeased. "Well, good, because I'm starting to feel like a parent here, getting between you two. And I don't like it." I mean, really, I got that they rubbed each other the wrong way, but, come on, they could at least try to get along. For the sake of my sanity.**

**------------- -**

**Dean, Jo, and I were on the top floor now, both of them had EMF meters in their hands, and I was in the middle of them.**

"**Ya know, if you're gonna ride me this close, it's only decent if you buy me dinner," Jo said to Dean.**

**I stopped walking for a second and shut my eyes. It had been too much to hope for that this scanning mission would go by in peace. Which was why I'd wanted to go with Sam.**

**Dean, though, didn't try to argue. He was being good like he'd promised he would. Oh, I loved him. He did state a fact, though, which I was okay with. "You know, it's bad enough I lied to your mom, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight…I don't know if you noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type."**

"**Exactly," Jo said, surprising me into opening my eyes.**

**I resumed walking. "Wait, you _wanna_ be bait?"**

"**Quickest way to draw it out and you know it," she said, looking at me.**

**Dean scoffed and I shook my head. "Quickest way to get yourself hurt, you mean," I said. "Or worse."**

"**I know how to do this job," she said heatedly.**

"**Jo, you've got no experience," Dean said, and he wasn't taunting her or challenging her this time. He was telling her the truth. "What you do have is a bunch of half-baked romantic notions that some barfly put in your head."**

"**And now, you sound like my mother," she said.**

"**Oh, and that's a bad thing? 'Cause let me tell you-"**

"**What?" she cut him off.**

**Dean sighed. "Jo, you've got options, okay? Sam and Alyson and I were forced into this. No one in their right mind _chooses_ this life. I mean, my dad started me on this when I was so young, I wish I could do something else."**

"**You _love_ the job," Jo protested.**

"**Yeah, but I'm a little twisted."**

"**You don't think I'm a little twisted too?"**

"**He thinks you'd be safer at home," I said quietly.**

**Dean was quiet for a while and then he stopped walking. "Jo, you're got a mother that worries about you, who wants something more for you. Those are good things." I'd said basically the same thing Dean was saying to her, the other day, but she didn't seem to be listening to him either. There was her problem, she didn't listen. "You don't throw things like that away. They might be hard to find later."**

**The three of us began walking again and I got the sense that something was around. But Jo didn't know about my abilities so there was no way I could really let Dean know without having to explain how I knew. So I decided to speak half-truths.**

"**Dean," I said. "Um, I'm getting the chills here." I looked up at him and smiled because I knew he got it. "Maybe I'm catching a cold or something," I added mostly just for Jo's benefit.**

"**Yeah," she said.**

**Dean stopped walking again and began sniffing the air. "Do you smell that or is it just me?"**

"**What is that? A gas leak?" Jo asked.**

"**No, it's something else," I said. I could smell it too now.**

**Jo's EMF meter started going off like crazy. It was leading us to an air vent. "Mazel Tov. You just found your first spirit," Dean said, kneeling down in front of the vent. He pulled a flashlight out and handed it to Jo, who knelt down beside him.**

**Dean pulled the vent panel off and looked around without getting too near. "There's something in there."**

**Dean pulled the sleeve of his shirt up and began to stick his hand in the vent, but I grabbed it. "_Don't_ do that."**

**Dean looked puzzled. "Why not?"**

"**Because, um, something could grab it," I said obviously. "And, ya know, I like your arm just where it is."**

"**Nothing's gonna grab me," he said, trying to reassure me. Then he stuck his arm in the vent. He felt around for a minute and then he got this look on his face and I knew he'd found something. He pulled out a clump of long blonde hair and it had a section of scalp still attached to it. "Somebody's keeping souvenirs," Dean said, disgust apparent in his voice.**

"**Okay, that's creepy on a level I hardly knew existed," I said. "What does a ghost need with souvenirs?"**

**Neither Jo nor Dean had the answer, but it didn't matter. We just needed to find out who it was and get rid of it.**

* * *

Okay, another chapter, up, obviously. LOL. Anyway, let me know what you think about the whole Jo and Alyson barely there friendship. I know she kinda snapped a few times in this chapter, even at Dean, but I feel that she's the type of person that would tell you when you were doing something wrong even if she did love you. So, yeah, reviews are always welcome. Thank you!


	12. No Exit Part Two

**No Exit  
Part Two**

**When we got back to the apartment room, we told Sam what we'd found, and he pretty much had the same reaction I'd had, which was thinking it was gross and creepy.**

**After that, we tried figuring out who was gonna sleep where. There was a nice comfortable bed in the bedroom, but we hadn't decided who was gonna sleep in it yet. I didn't want Dean and Jo to start arguing again, so I made a suggestion.**

"**Why don't we all just sleep on the floor? We can just sleep on blankets or something? At least then we'd all be in the same room if this spirit comes after Jo. Or me."**

**That statement there got Dean's vote. Sam was fine with whatever we came up with, and Jo reluctantly agreed with me. So the four of us settled down, uncomfortably, on the floor. We'd had to use extra blankets because the only part of the floor that was big enough for all four of us, wasn't carpeted. Just out luck, right?**

**Sam fell asleep first, his gentle breathing filling the room. Dean fell asleep second. Or, at least I figured he was asleep, because his eyes were closed and he looked peaceful. Something that rarely happened when he was awake.**

**So it was just me and Jo awake now, uncomfortable silence taking over apart from Sam's light snoring. Dean and I were laying side-by-side even though we weren't cuddling. We hadn't even kissed before he'd gone to sleep. We had the common courtesy to not do that in front of Jo.**

**I heard Jo sigh and then she was sitting up. "You could've told me you were with him, ya know. I would've understood."**

**I knew she was talking to me, so I sat up too. "Yeah, well, we…I didn't know how you'd react," I stated honestly. "I don't know you very well, and I didn't want things to become awkward between us."**

"**Right." She laughed quietly. "Is he always like this?" she whispered.**

"**Like?" I whispered back. The two boys were sleeping and we didn't want to wake them up.**

"**Ya know, does he question everything you say? And make you feel like you don't know how to do your job?" Now I laughed too. "Or is that a me thing?"**

"**Wow," I said. "That's not what he's trying to do." I wasn't being mean to her. I was actually amused that she felt that way. I'd forgotten that she barely knew Dean at all. But the way she'd described him reinforced that fact.**

"**Sure feels like it to me."**

**I sighed. "Jo, he doesn't want you to get hurt. None of us do. And no, Dean doesn't question everything that I say, but he taught me everything I know about hunting. To be honest, he's still teaching me. I mean, I won't lie about that. But the reason he's being so hard on you has nothing to do with how competent you are. He just wants to make sure you're ready…or will be when something attacks. I mean, with me, he knows that I know what to do, because he's the one who taught me. But he's never worked with you before, so…he doesn't know whether you know what to do or not. And he doesn't want you to get hurt because of it."**

"**I _do_ know what to do," she said firmly.**

"**I believe that you believe that," I whispered. "But like Dean said. You have no experience, and you wanting to be bait…that's like rushing headlong into trouble. Trouble that you don't need. And, um, just between you and me…getting kidnapped isn't all that it's cracked up to be."**

**It was dark in the room now, the streetlamps outside being the only light in the room. But I could see the outline of her body as she looked at me. I could feel her gaze on me. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."**

"**That's because I am," I replied. "We were in California and, um, these demons got me. They had me for two days. It wasn't fun." That was all I said on the subject. I hadn't told Sam or Dean the specific details, so I definitely wasn't going to tell her. I didn't really want to talk about it anyway.**

**I felt Dean's hand on the small of my back suddenly. It was comforting, reassuring. He was letting me know that nothing like that was going to happen to me again, not if he could help it. And I'd thought he'd been asleep, but he'd probably been listening the entire time. I moved my hand and slipped it onto his leg and left it there. He removed his hand from my back to place his hand over mine.**

"**Do you regret coming with them?" she asked, and I didn't mind answering.**

"**No," I replied honestly and firmly. "I regret that my mom had to die, but I don't regret my decision to come with them. It's hard to explain, but…I don't regret where I am right now." I paused, thinking about it. "I loved my mom, and she knew that." I bit my lip before continuing. "For the longest time, I blamed myself for her death, because it's me these things are after, but I know my mom would've wanted me to do what I felt was right. Whatever would've made me safe…and, well, helping people? That's a bonus."**

"**Yeah, and what about Dean?" She paused, breathing out a laugh. "Is he a bonus, too?"**

**I smiled. "An Alyson Daniels bonus," I said firmly, but jokingly. "Honestly, though. This thing with Dean, our relationship just sorta _happened_. I mean, I wasn't…looking for it. I just realized that I cared about him. A lot. I never actually expected him to return the feelings. But he does."**

**I felt him squeeze my hand, which made me smile again.**

"**What was your mom like?" Jo asked. "Was she overbearing like mine?"**

"**No. But my mom didn't know about all the stuff that Ellen does." I took a deep breath. Remembering my mom was hard for me. It kind of made me pine for her company. "She was very kind and loving. She liked having a good time. She _hated_ chores." I laughed a little. "Any domestic thing, she didn't like it. It didn't matter whether it was cooking or cleaning, she despised it. She was, um, well, scatterbrained comes to mind. I don't know if that's the right word, though. She was always on the go. Before she'd finish one project she would start on another."**

**We sat in comfortable silence for a while, and I was just about to lay back down when she started talking.**

"**I was still in pigtails when my dad died, but…I remember him coming home from a hunt, and he'd burst through that door like…like he was Steve McQueen or something. And he'd sweep me up in his arms, and I'd breathe in that old leather jacket of his. And my mom, who was sour and pissed from the minute he left, she started smiling again. And we were…we were a family."**

**I could tell it was hard, talking about this, so I didn't ask her any questions.**

"**You wanna know why I wanna do the job?" Jo asked. "For him. It's my way of being close to him. Now, tell me what's wrong with that?"**

"**Nothing," I replied softly. "I get that."**

**And I knew as I laid back down, Dean's and my hands still connected, that I'd not hear another complaint out of Dean, because he'd get that too.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning, I woke up to Dean groaning beside me. He kinda sounded like he was in pain. My eyes shot open, checking him over briefly. He was holding his head. Headache from sleeping on the floor, probably. "You okay?"**

"**Yeah, I will be once I get some coffee in me."**

"**You want some Excedrin?"**

"**Uh, yeah." He sounded like he'd had to think about that one for a minute. I grinned, hopping up from the floor.**

**I went in search of my purse, which wasn't hard to find since I'd tossed it onto the kitchen counter the night before. Jo was sitting at the table going through everything we had on this case.**

**But we were missing one person. The extremely tall and lovable one. "Where's Sam?" I asked, grabbing my purse and opening it.**

"**Went to get coffee," she answered simply. "And doughnuts."**

**I smiled slightly. The doughnuts sounded good right about now. I found the medicine and shook two pills out of the bottle. We were almost out, so next time we stopped somewhere I'd have to get some. We had those little paper cups by the sink, so I filled one up with water and took that and the pills over to Dean, who was rubbing tiny circles on his temples.**

**He took both the water and the pills, and then after he was done he put the cup on the floor. I sat down behind him and put my hands on his shoulders and started massaging that and his neck, kneading softly. I felt him relax against my hands, so I continued doing it.**

"**That feels nice," he said softly, which encouraged me.**

**After a few more minutes of massaging, Sam walked through the door looking upset. He didn't have the coffee or the doughnuts "There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared."**

**I sighed, getting frustrated. "Where?"**

"**Apartment 2-F. Her name was Teresa Ellis. Her boyfriend reported her missing around dawn."**

"**Have you been to check out her apartment yet?" Jo asked, but Sam shook his head. "Well, we should go do that now."**

"**No. _I'll_ go do that now," Dean stated, but he wasn't being confrontational. "I have the fake ID to get me in there."**

**I dropped my hands from his shoulders and put them on my lap. "Yeah, and we'll just continue our research here."**

**Dean stood up to stretch and then sat down on the sofa to slip his socks and shoes on. After that was done he slipped on his jacket, pulled an EMF meter from one of the bags we'd brought in, and hit it in his jacket.**

"**All right, I'll be back as soon as I can." He looked at Sam. "Watch out for them," he said, glancing from me to Jo.**

**Sam nodded once. He knew not to let us out of his sight. Even if Dean hadn't said anything he would've known not to do that.**

**Dean walked out of the room, leaving me, Sam and Jo to do whatever it was that we were supposed to do. I hopped up off the floor again, and went towards one of the chairs at the kitchen table.**

"**So, did you find anything else out?" I asked as I sat down.**

"**No," she answered. Sam sat down too. "I mean, I don't know who this spirit could be. The building's history is totally clean."**

**I sighed again. "Well, whoever it is, we can't let it have any more girls."**

"**I'm with you on that one," Sam said. "But, regardless of who it is, I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls." He was talking about the hair Dean had found in the vent the day before.**

**Sam's phone rang. It was Dean. Hm…that hadn't taken long.**

"**Hello?" Sam said, putting it on speakerphone.**

"**Hey, I'm at the apartment. There's cracks all over the plaster, the walls, the ceiling. There's ectoplasm, too."**

"**Um, guys," I heard Jo say. I turned to look at her. She was holding a black-and-white photo of the empty field that had been here before they'd built a warehouse on it. There was a building on either side of it. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place."**

"**What do you mean?" Dean asked from over the phone.**

"**Check this out." Jo handed me the picture and I scooted my chair over beside Sam so he could see it.**

"**An empty field?" Sam questioned, looking at the picture.**

"**It's where this building was built," Jo said. "But take a look at the one next door. The windows."**

**The building in the picture looked kind of dilapidated, and there were bars on the windows. "There was a prison here. Or next door to here," I stated mostly for Dean's benefit since he wasn't here to see the picture. "Who knows how many people could have died?"**

"**I'll call Ash, get him on it," Jo said, standing up and pulling a cell phone out of her pocket. "I'll get him to send us a list of all the people executed there."**

"**All right, you do that," Dean said, "and I'll be back in a second."**

**By the time he got back, Jo had finished talking to Ash and she had a little information for us. "Moyamensing Prison, built in 1835, torn down in 1963. And get this-they used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door."**

"**Here," I said. "Where the warehouse was built."**

"**Yeah," Jo agreed. "Ash is gonna send us a list of names by e-mail."**

**So Sam got out his laptop and sighed onto the Internet. We waited for Ash's e-mail to pop up and then we clicked on it, opening it up.**

**There were more than a few names. 157 names to be exact.**

"**We've gotta narrow that down," Dean said. "Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."**

**Sam went through the list, stopping at Herman Webster Mudgett. He got this look on his face, like maybe he recognized it or something.**

"**What?" I asked.**

"**Herman Webster Mudgett. Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?"**

"**You've gotta be kiddin' me," Dean said.**

"**Who _is _this guy?" Jo asked. Which was a good question, because I didn't recognize the name, either.**

**Sam clicked out of the e-mail and started typing something in the search box. He was probably looking for the burial place of this guy.**

"**The term _multi-murderer_-they coined it to describe Holmes," Dean said. "He was America's first serial killer before anybody knew what a serial killer was."**

"**Hm," I said. "That would explain the hair in the vent. Serial killers sometimes like to keep souvenirs, something significant to the killer himself."**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed. "He confessed to twenty-seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred."**

"**And his victim flavor of choice?" Dean started. "Pretty, petite blondes. He used chloroform to kill 'em…which is what I smelled in the hallway last night. At his place, cops found human remains…bone fragments and long locks of bloody blond hair." He looked at Jo. "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em." He was talking about the case she's put together.**

"**So, we'll just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Jo asked.**

"**It's not that easy," Sam said. "His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete." Sam was reading from an article he'd found on the Internet.**

"**What?" Jo asked. "Why?"**

"**Story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse, 'cause, ya know, that's what he used to do," Dean said.**

"**People are sick," I muttered.**

"**Ya know somethin'?" Sam scoffed, scrolling the article downwards. "We might have an even bigger problem than that."**

"**How does _this_ get bigger?" Jo asked incredulously.**

"**Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. They called it _The_ _Murder_ _Castle_. The whole place was a death factory. They had trapdoors, acid volts, quicklime pits. He built these secret chambers…inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."**

**I shook my head. "So, Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside _these_ walls. We have to find her."**

"**All right, we need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've gotta smash these walls anywhere thick enough to hide a girl." Dean was all business now that he knew this girl might be alive.**

"**Smashing through walls…the owners are gonna love that," I said sarcastically before standing and going to put my shoes on. God, if this Teresa girl was still alive, she was probably so scared. "Okay, two of us should take the first two floors. Together. And the other two should take the top two floors. Together. Don't split up." I looked at Jo. "No arguments."**

**I realized I was being bossy, but since Jo and I had had our little chat the night before, I figured _maybe_ she'd listen to me.**

**------------- -**

**I was with Sam on the first floor, inside the wall, which was not good because I was a little claustrophobic. And because there were cobwebs all over the place, which was creepy. It was a good thing that we both had flashlights.**

**Anyway, I knew that Dean felt responsible for Jo, so I'd let her go with him. I wondered if they were in the walls yet, like we were.**

**I stuck close to Sam because, well, I planned on using him as a human shield if the spirit came after me. I was only kidding, of course. I would never put someone else in danger just to save myself. Especially not Sam or Dean.**

**Sam stopped moving and I did as well. The place we were in was pretty narrow and my back was to the wall, so I couldn't see around him. "What is it?"**

"**Nothing, it's just we can't go any further. It gets even more narrow up ahead."**

"**What?" I moved as far away from the wall as I could and peered around Sam. It did get more narrow, and Sam wouldn't be able to fit. But I would. And I'd said not to split up. "Should I go? Or what?"**

**Sam made a face, like he was debating. "Stay close, and keep talking to me. And if you feel anything weird, come straight back."**

"**Talk to you how? Cell might not get reception in here."**

"**Well, you can try. If you lose the signal come back."**

**I nodded and pushed myself away from the wall and moved forward in front of Sam. He pressed himself against the wall as far as he could get, so I could pass him. I looked down the passageway and took a deep breath. Teresa Ellis needed my help. Claustrophobia be damned.**

"**Hey," Sam said, grabbing my arm. "Be careful. Dean will kick my ass if anything happens to you."**

**I nodded once and took out my cell phone. I wouldn't need it just yet, but I dialed his number anyway.**

**I shined my flashlight down the pathway. It went straight for a while, but then it curved to the left. That's when I'd need to keep talking, when Sam wouldn't be able to see me.**

**I slowly made my way through the passageway and when I got to where I was supposed to turn I looked back at Sam once. He was waiting with his phone to his ear.**

"**Okay," I said into the phone. "What do you wanna talk about?" I started walking again, down the turn.**

**He laughed. "I don't know. Do you see anything?"**

**I looked around. "Nothing but a bunch of filthiness."**

**The passage turned again and then there was a little path, but then it ended abruptly. But there was a tunnel-looking thing that led down. Hm…we were supposed to have been on the first floor. I wondered where it went to.**

"**There's nowhere else to go but down," I said. "It's got a ladder on the side. It goes down. Maybe it's a tunnel or a secret passageway. You said Holmes was known for that. He's been haunting this place since it was built, so his spirit would probably know about places we don't know." I took a deep breath again and then shined the flashlight down the hole. Completely dark aside from the flashlight I had. There was no way I was going down there. Not by myself. So I started backtracking, making my way back to Sam. "All right, I'm heading back to you. I'm not going down there by myself."**

"**Smart move," he said.**

"**Yeah. Ya know, um, I couldn't see anything down there. It was so dark. I don't even know where it led to."**

"**Well, we'll figure it out when we get done here. It's probably on the blueprints. We just overlooked it."**

**When I got back to Sam, we made our way back to where we'd come in at. And then, thankfully, we were out of the walls.**

**We went back up to the room, forgetting about the second floor for now. We wanted to know where that place that I'd found led to.**

**Dean, who looked frantic, almost barreled into us at the door. "He's got Jo." That would explain the panic on his face.**

"**What?" Sam asked. "How'd that happen?"**

"**She went off by herself." We got in the room. "Damn it!" he shouted.**

"**Okay, look, we'll find her, all right?" Sam said firmly.**

"**Where?"**

"**Inside the walls," Sam claimed.**

"**We've been inside the walls. If none of the other girls are there, she won't be either."**

"**Um, maybe she's not _in_ the building," I said, and they both looked at me. "Maybe she's underneath it."**

"**How do you figure?" Dean asked.**

"**Well, I-" I was cut off by Dean's cell phone ringing.**

"**Yeah?" he answered and then paused. "Ellen." He looked at me and Sam. From the look on his face I could tell that Ellen had somehow found out that Jo was with us. "She's gonna have to call you back. She's taking care of feminine business." He paused again and then closed his eyes like he didn't like what he was hearing. "Look, we'll get her back. The spirit we're hunting, it took her. She'll be okay. I promise."**

**Sam started going through the blueprints of the building. Dean continued talking to Ellen for about a minute and then he hung up.**

"**Damn it!" he shouted again, before sitting in one of the chairs at the table. "We better think of something fast. Ellen said she was taking the first flight out." He looked at me. "You were saying something about?"**

"**Maybe she's underneath the building. On the first floor there was this tunnel thing that went down. I didn't go down it, but it was really dark and it might have led down underneath the building."**

**Sam looked up from the blueprints. "There's a sewer system underneath this building. That tunnel you found might be the access to it. They probably built right around it when this building was renovated. I mean, it hasn't been used for a while but-"**

"**Let's go," Dean said, cutting him off.**

"**How are you guys gonna get to it? The passageway was too narrow for Sam to fit through." I realized that was the wrong thing to say when Dean tensed up even more.**

"**You went off by yourself?" he asked, grabbing the bag of weapons off the floor. "You're the one who said don't split up."**

"**I know, but we were trying to find that girl. And I was the only one that could fit. Sam wasn't gonna let anything happen to me. I stayed on the phone the whole time. He told me that if I sensed anything to come straight back." Sam and I stood up and followed Dean out the door. "And I didn't go down the tunnel thing. So I wasn't risking my life or anything. Or no more than usual anyway."**

"**Hm. All right, well, we just need to find another way in. Where did the sewer lead to?"**

"**Behind the building," Sam answered. "Whatever part of the field that was left over when they built this building."**

"**All right, we need metal detectors and shovels."**

**------------- -**

**We found the entrance in the leftover field and Sam and Dean had to dig it up and then we went down a ladder that led to the sewer system. I had a feeling I was going to regret going with them on this one, but I went anyway.**

**Sam and Dean both had shotguns filled with rock salt and I had a regular gun, like the one I'd learned to shoot with, with iron rounds. It wouldn't kill a ghost, but it would make it disappear for a while. And we had that bag with us, and I didn't know what exactly was in there, but I knew it was weapons.**

**The tunnel system sucked. A lot. We had to scoot on our bellies because it wasn't big enough to even crawl. It was extremely uncomfortable and creepy. I'd have rather dealt with the homicidal spirit.**

**I mean, it stank in the tunnel, and there were cockroaches crawling around with us, which was just extremely gross. I hoped and prayed that they didn't start crawling on me, because I didn't think I could handle it. At all. I didn't like bugs.**

**We finally got to this thing, a gate-like thing, and went through it. We could finally stand up again.**

**We were in this room that had these coffin-looking things in it. "Jo?" Dean called out.**

"**I'm here," she said. She was locked in one of those things.**

**Dean walked toward her voice and found the one she was in. Sam found Teresa and the guys let the girls out. They'd had to break the locks that had been on it. Sam was holding Teresa in his arms, and Jo was getting out of her box.**

"**You all right?" I asked, before freezing because I felt something close by. Too bad I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, because if I'd been able to I would've known the spirit was coming for me. And I would've moved beforehand.**

**The thing appeared behind me and grabbed my arms. So I did what any sane person would do and screamed. I saw Dean turn to me, shotgun in hand, and I yanked myself away from the spirit and threw myself to the floor. I covered my ears because shotguns are loud and I didn't want to go temporarily deaf from the noise.**

"**Hey, are you okay?" Dean asked. He was leaning over me, holding out his hand, which I took, to help me up.**

"**Yeah, I'm good. Is Jo hurt?"**

"**No, she's okay."**

**I looked over at her. Her hair was all messed up, but she seemed to be physically okay.**

"**Let's get the hell out of here before he comes back," Jo said, starting for the door. Or gate. Whatever you want to call it.**

"**Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet," Dean said, sounding like he was hating the idea that was forming in his head. "Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan? Well, now it's kind of the only one we've got."**

"**What are we gonna do?" I asked. Then I looked at Jo. "And I can be bait, if you don't want to." Dean looked like he hated that plan.**

**Jo shook her head. "I can do it."**

"**What are we gonna do?" I asked again.**

"**We're gonna trap it," Dean said simply.**

"**How?" Jo asked.**

"**Salt." He looked over at Sam, who was still taking care of Teresa. "Please tell me you packed salt yesterday."**

**Sam was the one who'd packed the weapons bag. "I packed salt yesterday," Sam said, grinning slightly. "What are you thinkin'?"**

"**A ring of salt. Leave an opening on the opposite side of the gate."**

**Sam looked like he was catching on. "We draw the thing out and then fill the gap. Good thinking."**

**Dean smirked. "I know." I shook my head, rolling my eyes. But then again, I probably would've said the same thing.**

**Dean searched through the bag we'd brought with us and dug out two cans of salt. They pretty much had two of everything. Sometimes they even had three, depending on whether or not I knew how to use it.**

**He handed me one of the cans, so I took one side and he took the other. We met in the middle, leaving a gap where he'd said to. Then he filled a sack thing with salt and lined it up above the gap so that it would spill out and fill up the saltless space.**

**Jo set herself up in the middle of the room, and Sam, Dean, and I set ourselves up near the gate, right behind it. Dean had suggested that Sam take Teresa on up to the surface, but Sam insisted that he might be needed here.**

**Anyway, it took a while for the stupid spirit to appear again. I guess it had been spooked from the rock salt. I felt it before it appeared, of course, so I let Sam and Dean know he was coming.**

**The spirit appeared behind Jo, and Dean waited until it was close to her before telling her to move. She moved out of the way, and Sam and Dean shot the sack of salt, making the salt fall to the floor, trapping the spirit.**

**Jo stumbled towards us and shut the gate behind her. The spirit, realizing it couldn't get out, started screaming and freaking out.**

"**Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt," Jo said.**

**So, we were finally able to get out of the creepy sewer, but we had to go through the cockroaches again. As I said the first time…I'd rather deal with a homicidal ghost.**

**When we got to the surface, Sam and Jo made sure that Teresa was okay, and Dean and I were going to try and think of a way to make sure that H. H. Holmes' spirit would be trapped forever.**

**I'd have preferred to lay his spirit to rest, but his body was encased in concrete, so we couldn't get to it.**

"**Man, what I wouldn't give to be able to change my clothes right now," I said. My clothes were damp and they were clinging to me. "And maybe take a shower."**

**We were walking down the road now, just thinking about how to keep the spirit down there. I mean, someone could find the sewer, or rain could wash the salt away.**

**Dean stopped suddenly and he caught my arm, making me stop too. "What?" I asked.**

"**Check it out," he said, pointing across the street.**

**I looked. It was a cement truck. Which made me laugh a little. I mean, talk about situational irony. His body had been encased in cement when he'd died, and now, cement was going to trap is spirit.**

**The cement truck was parked outside a diner, and I thought for sure we were gonna get caught, but we didn't. Dean didn't even have to hotwire it, the keys were still in the ignition.**

**We took the truck back to the sewer hole and then we got out of the truck.**

**Sam and Dean were waiting there. "You ripped off a cement truck?" Jo asked.**

**Dean shrugged, smirking. "I'll give it back."**

**Jo and I shook our heads, laughing.**

**Dean and Sam lowered the slide that was attached to the truck, angling it over the sewer entrance. Dean turned the thing on by pushing a lever down, and we watched as the cement went down into the ground.**

"**Well, that oughta keep him down there until hell freezes over," Dean said, wrapping his arm around me.**

**Sam and Jo smiled. She seemed to be taking mine and Dean's relationship very well. I wondered if it was just an act.**

**------------- -**

**We got back to the room, and we let Jo have the first shower since she'd risked her life.**

**But, anyway, after we all were clean, Sam suggested we get something to eat. None of us had eaten all day and it was almost nighttime.**

"**Pizza," I suggested. "Or Chinese food."**

"**Chinese food sounds good," Jo agreed.**

**We had to use a phonebook to find the address and number of the nearest Chinese restaurant. Sam ordered for everybody. I got chicken and broccoli with white rice. Dean wanted General Tso's chicken, which was supposed to be spicy. Jo ordered shrimp lo-mien. Sam got vegetable fried rice. And we each got an egg-roll.**

**Sam went to go get it, leaving Dean, Jo, and I in the apartment.**

"**Oh, uh, just to let you know," Dean said, looking at Jo, "your mom is coming."**

"**You told her?" Jo asked indignantly.**

"**No, Ash did. She called and wanted to talk to you, but you were…not here."**

"**Oh, great," she muttered under her breath. "You should've just let that thing kill me. I'm dead now anyway."**

"**I'm sure she won't _kill_ you," I tried reassuring her. "She'll just ground you for the rest of your natural life."**

**She scoffed. "Yeah, like that's any better."**

"**Oh, being grounded is definitely better than being dead. Trust me." I said, grinning slightly. And she smiled a little at my effort.**

**------------- -**

**Ellen showed up first thing in the morning, banging on the door, waking us all up. Jo had opened the door and her mother had pushed past her, stomping into the room.**

**Sam, Dean, and I stood there waiting for the reprimand we knew was coming. It was awkward, to say the least.**

"**Boy, you…you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean asked, smiling nervously.**

"**Dean, shut up," I whispered.**

**But Ellen didn't say anything. She just glared. Which was even scarier than if she had started yelling.**

"**Look," Jo said, and Ellen glanced her way. "You're angry. I understand."**

**Now Ellen did say something. "Angry? Angry doesn't begin to touch it!"**

"**Let's just think about this. Everything's okay. I'm alive."**

"**Not after I'm through with you." Ellen took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Get your things. We're leaving. I have two plane tickets here, you're coming home with me."**

**Jo dejectedly did as her mother asked of her, and Dean surprised me by stepping forward.**

"**Ellen. This is my fault, okay? I lied to you, and I'm sorry. But Jo did good out there. I think her dad would've been proud."**

"**Don't you _dare_ say that. Not you," Ellen said, turning back to Dean. He looked confused. And then she looked at the three of us. "I need a moment with my daughter. Alone."**

"**Yes, ma'am," Sam said.**

**Sam, Dean, and I got our bags together and went outside to the car and started loading her up. We had meant to take Jo and her mother home, but now that Ellen had bought plane tickets we wouldn't need to.**

**A few minutes later, Jo came out of the building. She looked our way and hesitated before coming over to us. She seemed really upset.**

"**That bad, huh?" Dean asked.**

"**I don't wanna talk about it right now," she stated.**

"**Well, Jo," Sam started. "We figured we should hit the road. We were gonna take you back home, but it looks like your mom's got it covered."**

"**Yeah." She nodded. Sam got into the car, and I turned to get into the car, but then I turned back around when Jo started talking again. "Ya know, my dad had a partner on his last hunt. He usually worked alone. This guy did, too. But I guess my father figured he could trust him." She smiled sadly. "A mistake. Guy screwed up, got my dad killed."**

"**What does this have to do with me?" Dean asked.**

"**It was your father, Dean," she said sharply.**

**Dean hesitated before answering. "What?"**

"**Why do you think John never came back? Never told you about us? 'Cause he couldn't look my mom in the eye after that. That's why."**

**I saw red for a second, and I wanted to hit her. It didn't matter that we'd become uneasy friends over the past two days.**

**I hoped she wasn't blaming Dean for that, but her tone suggested that she was. Dean wasn't John. He may have dressed like him, and he may have owned John's car and listened to John's music, but he was nothing like John. Dean cared too much to be like John.**

"**Just…just get out of here," Jo said. "Please, just leave."**

**Dean moved to get in the car, but I didn't. I grabbed Jo by the shoulder to keep her from leaving.**

"**I'm sorry about your dad. I really am. But you had no right to lay that off on Dean."**

"**Alyson, stop," Dean said. "It's fine."**

"**No, it's not," I said, raising my voice. "No one asked her to come with us. She's the one who said she wanted to hunt, so we let her hunt." I looked from Dean to Jo and back again. "And she shouldn't blame you for something your dad did."**

**I bit my lip, took a calming breath, and then let her go.**

**I got in the car, seething but silent, and waited impatiently for Dean to start driving.**

"**You shouldn't have done that," Dean said. "She was really upset."**

"**Yeah, well, now _I'm_ really upset," I said. And I wasn't going to apologize for telling the truth and expressing my feelings. I mean, I hadn't been lying. It wasn't Dean's fault that John had messed up. And if Jo's dad had been as stubborn as Jo was, it may not have been John's fault, either.**

* * *

So second chapter of No Exit. Yeah, so I made Alyson and Jo get a little closer and then I kinda ripped it apart at the end there. But yeah, let me know what you think.


	13. The Usual Suspects Pt One

**Hey, readers. Let me just start this update by saying that, while I liked the episode, I don't think I did too well on this chapter. I don't really think it flows right, but anyway...I wanted to see how Alyson would react to being arrested and intterogated. So, yeah, please enjoy. And review, and thanks in advance.**

**The Usual Suspects  
Part One**

**After the whole Jo incident, we drove for about an hour and then we stopped at a little diner and Dean got a newspaper.**

**I ordered the coffee. Regular for Sam and Dean, a cappuccino for me. We'd had a sort of abrupt awakening when Ellen had started banging on the apartment door, so coffee was needed. And food. But we'd get that later. To me, coffee didn't go too well with food.**

**The diner we were at had picnic tables outside, so that's where I was headed. Sam and Dean were already seated, Sam on one side and Dean on the other.**

**I put the three cups, which were burning my fingers because they were hot, on the table and sat down beside Dean. He had a pen in his mouth and his face was set in concentration.**

"**Anything interesting?" I asked, looking at the newspaper in his hands.**

"**Anthony Giles."**

**The name meant nothing to me, but I looked at the newspaper closer, anyway. There was a picture of the guy and above that was the headline: _Man's Throat Slit Without A Trace_.**

"**Who is he?" I asked, sipping my drink.**

"**A Baltimore lawyer. Working late at his office and that happened." He handed the paper to Sam. "Check it out."**

**Sam started reading bits and pieces of the article. "His throat was slit but the room was clean. Huh. No DNA, no prints."**

"**Keep reading. It gets better," Dean said, making a rolling gesture with his hand.**

"**Security cameras failed to capture footage of the assailant."**

"**So I'm thinkin' either somebody tampered with the tapes…" Dean trailed off, waiting for Sam to catch on.**

"**Or it's an invisible killer."**

"**My favorite kind." Dean smirked. He looked in my direction. Hm. His eyes looked kinda blue today. Well, a blue-green, actually. "What do you think? Wanna check it out?"**

**I shrugged. "Whatever you wanna do," I said halfheartedly.**

**Sam looked at me, concern on his face. "I'm sensing a little less than full committal here. What's wrong?"**

"**Throats being slit." That's how my mom had died and all. Ever since then anything dealing with throats being slit, I just didn't like dealing with it. "But if you think it's worth checking out, then we should go."**

**Dean looked my way sympathetically before turning to Sam. "What do you think, Scully?"**

"**I'm not Scully, you're Scully," Sam protested.**

"**No, I'm Mulder. You're a red-headed woman." Dean smiled.**

**I shook my head, laughing, which had probably been Dean's intention in the first place. "Okay, and who am I?"**

**Dean looked like he was honestly thinking about it. "Ya know, I don't think they have a character on TV for you. Because no one else is like you." All traces of this previous joking were gone. He was being completely serious. "You're uniquely you."**

**I smiled slightly and felt a light blush fill my cheeks. That touched me more than I could express, him thinking I was unique. I mean, I knew I was different, that was pretty much a given. I could do things that other people couldn't, that other people wouldn't even think was possible. But he was talking about something on a more personal level. Who I was, not what I could do.**

**I grabbed his leg underneath the table and squeezed gently and then went back to drinking my cappuccino.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Baltimore we rented out a motel room, settled in, and Sam used his laptop to find Karen Giles' address. Karen was Anthony Giles' wife…well, widow now.**

**We were planning on acting as agents from Mr. Giles' insurance company. I didn't think three agents would show up at the same time, but Sam and Dean both had problems with leaving me alone. Even in the car.**

**So we were now knocking on Karen's door and when she opened up the door. I immediately felt bad for doing what we had to do. The poor woman's eyes were red and puffy, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days.**

"**Are you Karen Giles?" Sam asked, and she nodded. "We're agents from the insurance company your husband belonged to."**

"**Insurance," she whispered. "I totally forgot about the insurance."**

"**We're very sorry to bother you right now," Sam said sincerely. "But the company is required to conduct its own investigation. You understand?"**

"**Sure." Karen nodded and moved back from the doorway. "Come in. Please."**

**She led us to the kitchen table, picking up a blue sweater from one of the chairs and slipping it on. She sat down at the head of the table and I sat across from her. Sam and Dean were on the left and right of us.**

"**Okay, well, if you could just tell us anything you remember about the night your husband died."**

"**Uh, Tony and I were just supposed to have dinner. He called and said that he was having computer troubles…and that he had to work late. And that's it."**

"**Ms. Giles?" I said, gaining her attention. "Did your husband have any enemies? Do you know of anyone who could've done this?"**

**I was just thinking he had been an attorney, a lot of people would have been mad at him. One of them could've done it.**

"**No," Karen whispered. "No. It's like I told the police. I-I have no idea." I believed her.**

"**Did Tony mention anything unusual to you in the days before his death?" Dean put in.**

"**Unusual?"**

"**Yeah, like, strange or weird. Weird noises, visions, anything like that?"**

**Dean was being a bit too enthusiastic so Sam cleared his throat and glared at him from across the table.**

"**Well, he had a nightmare the day before he died, but…" she trailed off. She was confused and I didn't blame her.**

"**What kind of a nightmare?" Sam asked.**

"**Uh, he said that he woke up in the middle of the night and there was a woman standing at the foot of his bed. He blinked and she was gone. I mean, it was just a nightmare."**

"**Did he say what she looked like?" Dean asked hopefully.**

**Karen looked back and forth between Sam and Dean. "What the hell difference does it make what she looked like?" Her voice broke on the last part.**

"**Uh, it's just…our-our company is very thorough," Dean stuttered.**

**Karen sighed. "He said she was pale, and she had dark, red eyes."**

**Okay, maybe one of his former clients hadn't killed Anthony Giles. It was something else.**

**------------- -**

"**So…pale skin and red eyes," I said, slipping into the backseat. "That's not much to go on."**

"**No," Dean agreed, "it's not. We should go to his office tonight, see what we can find."**

"**Yeah," I said. "But the question now becomes…what do we do until then?"**

**Dean started the car and onto the road. "Yeah. I'm sure we can find some way to entertain ourselves."**

**I grinned to myself, thinking of the ways we could entertain ourselves if we'd gotten a separate room from Sam. Then I blushed profusely for thinking it. We hadn't actually done any of those things even though I'd told him I was ready to. We hadn't had a chance to. Jo had been with us and now we had another case to deal with.**

**I got myself under control pretty quickly after my mind started wondering about the case. I wondered what we were dealing with this time. Someone with a pale face and red eyes. Maybe we were dealing with an albino something. An albino that could disappear within a blink of the eye. And could become invisible to kill someone.**

"**Hey, guys?" I spoke up. "If you were invisible, where would you go?"**

"**When I was in high school…the girls locker-room, definitely," Dean said shamelessly, and I laughed. Should've seen that one coming.**

**Sam seemed to seriously be thinking about it, but it looked like he couldn't come up with anything. So he shrugged.**

**When we got back to the motel we didn't do much of anything except watch TV, which was nice for a while, but then I got bored. "Ya know, before I met you two I was happy with just watching TV all day, but this isn't interesting at all."**

"**Well, what do you want to do?" Dean asked.**

"**I don't know," I jokingly complained. "I mean, isn't there anything we can do that pertains to this case?"**

"**Not really," Sam answered. "I mean, not until tonight, anyway. We already know how Anthony Giles died. And we won't know what we're looking for until we go to the office."**

"**Hm." I sighed before laying down on one of the beds.**

"**What's your favorite flavor of jellybean?" Dean asked suddenly.**

"**What?" Sam and I asked at the same time.**

**He grinned. "You said you wanted something to do. Answering a question is something to do."**

"**Oh." He was trying to take my mind of my boredom. Okay. "I like Starburst jellybeans. Pink." Easy enough to answer.**

"**What is your favorite type of potato?"**

**I laughed now. This was getting ridiculous. "Mashed with butter."**

"**Chewing gum?"**

"**Orbit," I replied. "Really, Dean. Are those the best questions you can come up with?"**

"**I'm saying whatever comes to mind."**

"**You already know almost everything about me, don't you?" I reminded him.**

**Dean shrugged, moving closer to me. "Not everything."**

**Sam decided to join in on the conversation by asking a question of his own. A smartass question. "What's the biggest advantage of being short?"**

**If I had been sitting up, I probably would've thrown something at him. "Being able to hide behind tall guys like you," I said, and I wasn't offended, so I grinned, too. I did sit up now, and I looked at both of them. "I know you said it's because I'm bored, but honestly, what's with the twenty questions?"**

"**Well, you're not bored anymore, are you?" Dean asked pointedly. "I get to learn more about you, and you have something to do. So it's a win-win situation."**

**I rolled my eyes, relenting. "Continue."**

"**What natural disaster are you most scared of?"**

**Leave it to Sam to think of something like that. Morbid much? But then I realized that they both would know what each other was scared of, so I went along with it. "Um…tornado?" I wasn't sure. That had been a weird question and I hadn't been ready for it. "I mean, getting sucked up into a funnel cloud can't be good, right?"**

"**No," Dean said, even though that had been a hypothetical question. He seemed to be thinking of another question.**

"**Don't strain yourself," I said, smirking.**

"**What?"**

"**Thinking," I answered, and Sam laughed, but Dean stuck his tongue out at me. He hadn't done that in a while. It was nice…in a weird way.**

**Anyway, the questions went on and on…just to keep me occupied. Sam would mostly ask serious questions such as, "If you could be a character in any book, who would you be?"**

**Now, I liked reading, but I had no clue for that question. I was happy where I was, here, with them.**

**Dean's questions were more along the line of, "What do Martians do for fun on Mars?" He would ask silly questions that I would try my best to answer seriously because even though he was joking, he still wanted to know.**

"**They use super telescopes and watch us humans make stupid mistakes everyday." I then burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. I don't believe in aliens." Which was weird considering the things I dealt with everyday.**

**My boredom had totally been forgotten and my mind went through everything they'd asked me, and I realized that these guys knew me just as well as Layla-I shouldn't have been thinking that name-had. Maybe better.**

**Layla had pretty much been a taboo word ever since we'd left San Francisco. I didn't mention her and the guys hadn't asked. It hurt to think about her. She'd been the only thing I'd had left of my old life and I'd had to let her go. I'd known it had been the right thing to do, but that didn't make it hurt less when I thought about her.**

**------------- -**

**By the time night had fallen and we'd gotten to Giles' office I was bored again. I was glad we had something to do again.**

**His office was part of a building; I assumed everyone who worked there was an attorney of some sort. Anyway, his door had been locked and we'd had to pick it. Even if it had been open we shouldn't have been there; there was yellow crime scene tape in front of the door.**

**It was your typical office. It had a desk, a filing cabinet, and three chairs; one behind the desk and two in front of it where the clients had probably sat. There was a computer on the desk, a flat screen. Sam's area of expertise.**

**There was a bloodstain on the floor. Ew. "I'm guessing that's where they found him."**

"**Yup," Dean agreed. "So, what do you think? Vengeful spirit? Underline vengeful."**

"**Yeah, maybe," Sam answered. "He did see that woman at the foot of his bed." Sam went behind the desk and sat at the computer.**

**I looked around and noticed a printer in the corner of the room. It wouldn't have been important except there was a piece of paper on the floor in front of it. I went and picked it up. The word _danashulps_ had been printed on it over and over again, no spaces or anything.**

"**Guys, I don't know if this is important or not, but I found something." I handed the paper to Dean, who looked at it strangely.**

"**Dana Shulps?"**

"**What is that? A name?" Sam asked.**

"**I don't know," Dean replied, going over to the copier. "But it's everywhere." He picked another piece of paper from the copier. The same word over and over.**

"**Whoa," Sam said suddenly, gaining my attention.**

"**What?" Dean and I asked in unison.**

**He leaned down to breathe on the desk. I could see from where I was that the word was written there too. Whoa, indeed.**

"**I'd say we've officially crossed over into weird."**

**I scoffed. "That would only mean something if our lives were other than weird."**

"**Touché."**

"**Anyway, maybe Giles knew this Dana Shulps," Dean said, getting Sam and me back on track.**

"**Maybe it's the name of our pale red-eyed mystery girl."**

"**Well, let's see what we can see," Dean said.**

**Dean and I started going through the filing cabinet, and Sam started doing something on the computer. One of those things he was gonna have to teach me to do one of these days.**

**There were four drawers in all attached to the filing cabinet. I took the bottom two and Dean took the top two.**

"**You wanna know what I wanna know?" I started. "Why is it called a filing cabinet? It's not a cabinet. It's a thing with drawers. So it's more like a dresser really."**

**Dean looked like he feared for my mental health before snickering under his breath.**

"**What? It's a valid question," I defended my logic.**

"**Look for the name," he said fondly, going back to work. I smiled and did the same.**

**And we found nada.**

"**There's not a single mention of a Dana Shulps anywhere." Dean was frustrated. "There's not a D. Shulps. Or any other kind of freakin' Shulps."**

"**Great," Sam said sarcastically.**

"**So, what do you got?" Dean asked going forward to sit down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.**

"**Nothing," Sam said, sighing. "No Dana Shulps lived or died in Baltimore in the last fifty years, at least."**

"**All right, well, what do we do now?" I asked, coming to stand beside Dean.**

"**Well, I think I'm pretty close to cracking Giles' password. Maybe there's something in his personal files, ya know?"**

"**By close, you mean…" Dean trailed off.**

"**Thirty minutes, maybe?"**

**Dean checked his watch. "Awesome. So, I guess I just get to hang out. That's awesome." He didn't sound like he meant it. He began looking around the room. He was the one who was bored this time. He began clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, which seemed to annoy Sam tremendously.**

"**Dude, seriously."**

"**All right." Dean stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to Karen again, see if she knows anything about this Dana Shulps, huh?"**

"**Great," Sam said gratefully.**

"**Um, it's kinda late for a house call, isn't it?" I asked , looking at my watch. "It's almost ten."**

"**She'll get over it," Dean said, grinning. Dean looked at Sam. "Keep goin', Sparky." He looked my way, wondering what I was going to do.**

"**I'm gonna stay here," I said. "We'll probably head back to the motel after we're done here." So Dean left.**

**I grabbed one of the papers with that word on it. _Danashulps_. I looked at it. This was a whole new level of frustration. Dean and I hadn't found any files on a Dana Shulps and Sam hadn't found a Dana Shulps that had even lived of died here.**

**I even tried spelling it backwards, which made even less sense than when it was spelled correctly.**

"**Hey, Sam?"**

"**Hm?"**

"**When spirits try to communicate, is it as confusing as the movies make it out to be? I mean, like, _The Shining_. Redrum, murder. Things like that."**

"**Yeah, sometimes. Why? What're you thinkin'?"**

"**Well, if words get mixed up…maybe it's not a name."**

**Sam cocked his head to the side slightly. "It's possible. Even probable since our research doesn't seem to be turning anything up."**

"**So, what, it could be anything?"**

"**Yeah. An anagram, maybe."**

**Hm…same letters, different words. I started rearranging the letters in my head but couldn't come up with anything that sounded logical.**

"**Okay, well, we're pretty much done here, so we'll wipe our prints and then we'll go."**

"**Yeah, ya know, we really should think about investing in some gloves."**

**Sam grinned before handing me a rag to start wiping away the evidence that we'd ever been there.**

**------------- -**

**When we got back to the motel, which we'd had to walk to, Dean wasn't back yet and it was nearing eleven o'clock. I assumed Karen had been awake and Dean was getting information from her.**

**Things were pretty uneventful until, oh, around twelve that night. When a S.W.A.T. team burst through our door. The lead cop, an older woman, had a gun out, pointing it at Sam.**

**He'd been sitting at the table, using the computer, when the police had arrived. And I'd been coming out of the bathroom. If I had known that cops were coming I probably would've stayed in the bathroom. But then again, I might've come on out anyway, because I wouldn't have wanted to abandon Sam like that. And how did they know we were here anyway?**

**And then it clicked. Dean. The police probably already had him. But, no, wait. Dean wouldn't give us up that easily. He was too self-sacrificing for that. He'd want us to get out of town. And why hadn't he called? Weren't you supposed to be allowed one phone call or something like that?"**

**Anyway, they read us our rights. The whole right to remain silent thing and all. They told us why we were being arrested, and mostly it was because we knew Dean and we'd been seen leaving the office building. Oops.**

**------------- -**

**So…being stuck in an interrogation room by yourself is really boring. Boring to the extreme. I'd been here for two hours and no one had come to talk to me yet. But that was probably a good thing, actually, since I couldn't lie to save my life. Or, in this case, my freedom.**

**A knock came from the door and then the woman who had been at the motel came in. She had a cup of coffee in her hand, along with a file folder.**

"**Thought you might be thirsty. Or maybe tired. It _is_ past two in the morning."**

"**Or possibly you just wanted my fingerprints," I muttered.**

**I was seated at the table. It was a dreary room with only one light in it, which was located directly above the table. It was meant to intimidate, I was sure. But, I mean, come on. I'd come across demons and vampires and ghosts and other creatures that didn't belong to any of the aforementioned categories. Plus, I had nearly been tortured to death. A little darkness was not gonna bother me enough to make me do something stupid.**

"**There is that," the woman said. "I'm Detective Ballard. I want you to tell me everything you know about Sam and Dean Winchester."**

"**Why?" I blurted out.**

"**Because Dean's being held on suspicion of murder."**

**I scoffed, which was probably not the best thing to do, her being a cop and all. Oh, sorry. _Detective_. "I can tell you that Dean didn't kill anyone."**

"**You sound sure of yourself there," she commented.**

"**That's because I am," I stated. She sat down in front of me. I'd never been arrested before but I was sure this was where the real fun started.**

"**How long have you known the Winchesters? How well do you know them?"**

"**My mom knew their mom when she was younger. I've known them since the beginning of June." I decided to ask a question of my own. "How long am I going to be kept here? You don't actually have a case. For me, anyway."**

"**We can hold you for up to forty-eight hours without formal charges."**

**I sighed. "What do you wanna know?"**

**She looked at me, a little surprised. "You're willing to cooperate?"**

"**As much as I can." She was just doing her job, after all. And I wouldn't say anything that would incriminate the guys.**

"**Okay." She spread the file folder out in front of me. "This is your life before this past June. Before your mother was killed."**

**I glared at the folder. I didn't want to talk about that. "What does this have to do with anything?"**

"**I'm letting you know that I know everything about you up until then. And then you just kind of disappeared. Why is that?" I bit my lip and looked away. "You're eighteen now, correct? You have no prior criminal record. That'll work in your favor. Both your parents are gone. Your dad died when you were fourteen and your mom died not too long ago. You'll get the sympathy vote. But you're gonna have to help me."**

"**How?" I whispered. She was good; bring up emotional stuff so your guard would be down. But I caught on quick, so my guard was actually still up.**

"**Did you know that Dean was supposed to be dead?"**

"**Um, well, he's alive and kickin', so I'd say no." He'd actually told me that before, something about a shapeshifter or something.**

"**I figured you wouldn't. It was before you started traveling with them." She paused. "Why _did_ you start traveling with them?"**

**I sighed again. "They were there for me when I needed them the most. I didn't-I didn't wanna stay in the house that my mom died in, okay? So, they offered to bring me with them."**

"**Why were they there?'**

"**What?" I stumbled.**

"**In San Francisco."**

"**Oh. I don't know. They said they were just passing through. They fixed my tire. It had been flat. And they followed me home to make sure I was okay. That's about it. The police report probably explains the rest."**

**She nodded. "It does." She paused again; she seemed to be contemplating something. "Ya know, we ran Dean's fingerprints through IAFIS. Got over a dozen possible hits."**

"**That doesn't mean anything," I pointed out. She'd said possible, which meant they weren't definite, which meant they were worthless.**

"**No, you're right. It doesn't. But it kind of makes you wonder though. What are we gonna find when we run _your_ prints? Or Sam's."**

**I crossed my arms in front of me. I hadn't touched the coffee cup and I was going to yet.**

"**Look, I know that it won't mean much…of anything, really. But Dean isn't a killer. I can promise you that." It was true. I mean, he wouldn't just randomly kill someone. "Who is he supposed to have killed, anyway." I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure.**

"**We'll get around to that." The door opened again and this time a guy came in. "Alyson, this is my partner, Detective Sheridan. He's the other leading officer in this case."**

"**_What_ case? You haven't been too specific."**

"**Did you get her prints?" Sheridan asked Ballard.**

"**No, not yet."**

**Sheridan looked my way. "We can charge you with aiding and abetting if you don't cooperate."**

**Hm. So he was the bad cop to her good cop. "Uh, I was cooperating."**

"**Did you know about the credit card fraud?" he asked. "Or, my personal favorite…grave desecration."**

"**They don't let me pay for anything, so, no, I didn't know. And on the other thing…I don't think they would do that." Okay, lying was getting easier. It all depends on how you look at it. I mean, the credit card fraud thing, I knew about, and that had been a flat out lie. But I didn't see digging up the corpses that they had to dig up as grave desecration. They were laying a spirit to rest. Most of the time.**

"**They have. Or _Dean_ has, anyway." Sheridan was sounding too confident for my liking. And he was looking at me like he was trying to see through me. I didn't like it. "Has Dean ever hurt you?"**

**My head snapped in his direction. "What?"**

"**Just answer the question," Ballard prompted.**

"**No. Dean does his best to make sure I _don't_ get hurt. He…" I trailed off when Sheridan looked like he'd picked up a scent.**

"**You're in a relationship with him." It was a statement, not a question. "Aren't you?"**

"**Yes," I said softly. "But that's not relevant here, so I didn't say anything."**

"**Dean is being held on suspicion of murder. Karen Giles died earlier tonight." Sheridan was paying close attention to me, and I tried to keep my facial expressions neutral. "Dean was found in her house, over her body with blood on his hands. And then, just about an hour ago we got a fax from St. Louis where Dean was suspected of torturing and murdering a young woman. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"**

"**No." I shook my head. "And I've said it before and I'll say it again. Dean isn't a killer. And he wouldn't hurt a woman. He loves women." Well, I mean, he wouldn't hurt an innocent woman. I guess if they were possessed, that wouldn't really count. But I couldn't actually say that, so I kept my mouth shut about that.**

"**Why are you here? In Baltimore?" Ballard asked.**

"**Sam and Dean saw the article about Tony Giles. About his death. They saw it and they wanted to come here. They said they knew him. But, anyway, my point is that Dean couldn't have killed him, because we weren't here when he died." I was lying again. I just tried to put myself in the mindset of one of the guys, making up the lies that they would come up with. Hopefully.**

"**What happened after you got here?"**

"**They wanted to go see Karen. She was really upset. I didn't feel right, intruding. I didn't know her. But Sam and Dean have this thing against leaving me alone for too long. So I went with them. We didn't stay too long. We left, went back to the motel."**

"**And after that?"**

"**We watched TV for a while."**

"**You broke into Giles' office building," Sheridan accused.**

"**Uh, no, I didn't. Sam and Dean dragged me along with them. They said that Karen had called and she wanted something from the office, but the police weren't letting her in. And, yes, it was a crime scene, but we weren't breaking in. We got a key from Karen, Dean dropped us off, and he went back to check on Karen. Like I said, she'd been upset. And Sam and I went back to the motel. But Dean didn't kill anyone." I wasn't budging on that one.**

"**Ya know," Sheridan said, and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was changing tactics. "Karen Giles' throat was slit." He looked at me. "Isn't that how your mom died?"**

**I knew what he was implying. He was trying to connect Dean to all three murders. "Dean didn't kill my mom, either," I stated firmly. "And Dean _couldn't_ have killed Tony because he wasn't here. So you locked up the wrong person." If the killer was a person. "Whoever you're looking for is still out there. I mean, Tony and Karen died the same way. And, yeah, Dean was there at Karen's house, but unless you find a murder weapon, all you have is circumstantial evidence," I said heatedly. "Not to mention he didn't have a motive."**

**Sheridan didn't look like he liked being talked down to by an eighteen-year old, and I was sorry, but I loved Dean, and at the moment he was the thing standing in the way of my being with him.**


	14. The Usual Suspects Pt Two

**Okay, so, I haven't done a disclaimer for this story in a while, so I figured I'd put one in this chapter. I don't own the guys. If I did I'd be rich and not writing about them probably. I only own the characters you don't recognize. Which is mostly Alyson.**

**The Usual Suspects  
Part Two**

**I didn't know what the two detectives game was, but they'd left me alone again after asking me everything they wanted to know. I'd allowed myself to tell them everything I could that wouldn't get me or the guys into trouble or thrown in the nuthouse. Then they'd come back and ask a random question and then they'd leave again. They were probably fact checking or something like that.**

**Around the fourth time this happened, Detective Ballard came in, alone, looking spooked. I waited for her to speak.**

"**Does the name Dana Shulps mean anything to you?"**

"**Should it?" I asked.**

"**Dean said that he was going to confess and then he started going on about vengeful spirits and shapeshifters."**

**I grinned. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. That was just such a Dean thing to do. "Yeah, and?"**

"**Is it true? That whoever killed Tony and Karen left behind that word?"**

"**Why are you asking?" She was spooked for a reason. And it couldn't have only been because of what Dean had said. Most people would just call that crazy talk.**

"**Do you know about the stuff he was talking about?" She'd totally ignored my question. She sat down in front of me, on the opposite side of the interrogation table. She placed her hands on the table and her long-sleeved shirt rolled up to reveal bruises on her wrists.**

**It was weird, but I didn't say anything about it. Who knows, maybe she was into bondage or something like that. "That depends. Are you going to lock me up if I say yes?"**

**Again, she ignored my question. "Dean said that he thinks it's a street name. Ashland. He thinks that, for whatever reason, that everything started there."**

**I thought about it, and then asked. "Is there an Ashland Street near here?"**

"**Yes." So she actually answered. "What is so important about that word?" She was still spooked.**

**Then it clicked, why she wanted to know about it. "You've seen it, haven't you? The word."**

"**How did you know?"**

"**I read people, too. Maybe I should've been a cop." I paused. "You look really scared and then you started asking about it. It was kinda obvious, really."**

"**I saw it on my computer. It repeated itself over and over. And then in the bathroom I saw-" she broke off, standing up and turning away from me.**

"**You saw what?"**

"**I must be crazy. But I thought I saw this woman."**

"**Pale face and red eyes?" I asked. She turned back around, looking shocked that I'd known. "Tony saw her, too. Day before he died."**

**She swallowed, hard. "Am I gonna die?"**

**I took in a deep breath. "No. Not if you let us help you."**

"**Help me?"**

"**Yeah, it's what we do. We're not the bad guys. You need to let us go so we can save you."**

"**Sam isn't here anymore. He escaped."**

**I suppressed a grin. I was happy he'd gotten out though. "Okay. Look, tell Dean what happened. Get him out if you can. He'll tell you where Sam is if he knows your life is in danger." I mean, I didn't know what they did when they got separated, but I was sure they had different names. And I didn't know them because, until now, it hadn't been an issue.**

**Ballard nodded before leaving the room.**

**By the time she got back, it was daylight and I'd been in the interrogation room all night. "Come on. You're free to go."**

**I looked at her, surprised. "I am?"**

"**Yes. We have nothing to hold you for."**

"**And Dean?" I asked. "What about him?"**

**She sighed regretfully. "I can't do anything about him. Unless we prove otherwise, the evidence is stacked against him. Even if it is just circumstantial."**

**I looked down at the floor, taking in a calming breath, before standing up and walking out the door. "So, what do we do?"**

"**We find Sam," she said simply.**

**------------- -**

**Turns out that riding shotgun with a detective at the wheel is an awkward experience to go through. And unnerving, because I didn't know what to say. A single word could get me locked back up.**

**Speaking of being locked up…Dean was still being held on suspicion of murder, which was just ridiculous, in my opinion. But I wasn't gonna worry about that just yet. I had a feeling that I might go catatonic if I thought too much about being separated from Dean over something like that.**

**We found Sam. Dean had told Detective Ballard where Sam was like I'd known he would. Sam ended up being at some motel under the name of Jim Rockford. I didn't know the significance of the name, but there it was.**

**He seemed happy to see me, and shocked to see who I was with. Then we told him what was going on, how she'd seen the spirit and the word that went along with it. And then she told him about the bruises on her wrists that I'd noticed earlier.**

"**These showed up after you saw it?" Sam asked, examining them.**

"**Yeah, I…I guess."**

"**All right. Then you're gonna have to help us find out who this is."**

**Ballard sighed, turning away from us. "You know, I must be losing my mind." Second time she'd said that in the past four hours. She turned back around, facing Sam. "You're a fugitive. I should be arresting you."**

"**You can arrest him after we save your life," I said. "But if you wanna live you need to let him help you." She nodded.**

"**Okay, great," Sam said. "Now, this spirit…what did it look like?"**

**Ballard took a deep breath. "She was, um…really pale, and her throat was cut. And her eyes, they were this deep, dark red. And it appeared like she was trying to talk to me, but she couldn't. There was just…a lot of blood."**

"**Did she try to hurt you?" I asked. "Or did you recognize her?"**

"**No and no."**

"**You know what, here," Sam said, moving to the table and sitting down. He picked up some pictures that were on it and handed them to the detective. "I've been researching every girl who's ever died or gone missing from Ashland Street."**

"**How did you get these? These are from crime scenes and booking photos."**

**Sam smiled and shrugged. "You have your job and I have mine. I need you to look through them. Tell me if you recognize anyone."**

**Ballard sat down on the bed and I sat beside her. The crime scene photos were gruesome and unhelpful. Then we came across a mugshot of a woman. She was blond and had fair skin.**

"**This is her. I'm sure of it." Ballard handed the batch of pictures back to Sam.**

"**Claire Becker." He'd apparently gotten her information off of the police database. "Twenty-eight years old, disappeared about eight or nine months ago."**

"**But I don't even know her," Ballard claimed. "Why would she come after me?"**

"**Well, before her death, she was arrested twice for dealing heroin." Sam paused, looking at the detective. "You ever work narcotics?"**

"**Yeah," she answered. "Pete and I did, before homicide."**

"**You ever arrest her?" I asked.**

"**Not that _I_ remember," she said.**

"**It says she was last seen entering 2911 Ashland Street. The police searched the place, didn't find anything," Sam read from a police report.**

"**So we should go check that out, right? See if we can find anything," I said.**

"**Right. See if we can find her body."**

"**What?" Ballard asked, standing up from the bed.**

"**Well, we've gotta salt and burn her bones. It's the only way to put her spirit to rest," Sam explained.**

"**Of course it is," Ballard replied, astonishment lacing her voice.**

**I smiled slightly before turning to Sam. "Um, I didn't see Dean's car outside. Where is it?" Sam shook his head; he didn't know.**

"**It's at an impound lot," Ballard answered.**

"**Hm." I thought about it. "Dean's gonna be angry."**

**We ended up taking the detective's car. She came with us. It was the only way we could keep her safe. I mean, we didn't know when Claire's spirit was gonna come after her again.**

**What got me was why it hadn't already killed her. It had appeared to her already, and it had seemed like she was trying to talk to the detective. Claire's spirit hadn't tried to hurt her. And Claire had appeared to Tony Giles too, the day before he'd died. He'd blinked and she'd disappeared.**

**We arrived at 2911 Ashland Street and got out of the car. The building looked like a warehouse on the outside, but it looked like a store on the inside. An old abandoned store. The door hadn't been locked, so we three just went on in.**

**It was dirty and dusty and it gave me the creeps-not the supernatural kind, just the normal kind. And if it had been a store, I didn't know what kind it had been. I mean, there were shelves of things and none of them made sense. They didn't seem to have any organizational pattern that I could see.**

**There were ropes and cords on the same shelf as liquor bottles. And next to the bottles was what looked like a covering for a florescent light. As I said before…no pattern that I could discern.**

"**So, what exactly are we looking for?" Ballard asked. That was a good question, actually, because I didn't know, myself.**

"**I'll let you know when we find it," Sam answered.**

**We continued through the room until we found a staircase. "Do you wanna go or shall I?" I asked Sam.**

"**I'll go," Sam said. "You two stay together." Which was not a problem. Although we didn't have guns anyway, so…even if the spirit did show up, we were pretty much helpless. I mean, yes, Ballard had a gun but she didn't have the right type of bullets. They'd be useless against a spirit.**

**So Sam went upstairs and Ballard and I continued making our way through the room.**

"**So, um…" I started. "I don't mean to put any pressure on you or anything, but, uh, if we save your life…how are you gonna get Dean out? I mean, I'm pretty sure no one would believe you if you released him because you found out that a ghost had killed Tony and Karen." I paused, breathing in slowly. "And you can't let an innocent man go to prison."**

"**I know that," she answered. "But I don't know what to do about your boyfriend. I'm sorry. Unless we can find evidence that he didn't do this, then-"**

"**Then we'll _get_ some," I cut her off firmly.**

**We walked until there was nowhere else to go. We'd hit a roadblock, so to speak. There was a shelf in front of a window and we couldn't go any farther.**

**I kinda got the feeling that something was around and so I turned around to look. It wasn't too dark, but I had a flashlight with me anyway; I hadn't needed it until now. It was weird, though, because I wasn't getting the sense that something evil was around, not like with demons. I just felt not right. Kind of like that empty feeling you get when something goes horribly wrong. You know, that pit in your stomach? That's what it felt like.**

**A sudden burst of wind blew from behind me and whipped my hair around my face. I turned around and Claire's spirit was right in front of Detective Ballard. But it didn't look like she was trying to hurt her. But the detective had been right…there was a lot of blood.**

"**Sam," I called out, and then the spirit disappeared.**

"**What is it?" he asked, coming down the stairs. "What happened?"**

"**Claire," I answered. The detective looked shocked.**

"**Did she attack you?" He was talking to Ballard.**

"**No," she answered. "She was just reaching out to me. She was over there, by the window." The window with the shelf in front of it. We went over to it. "Hey, help me move this."**

**So we did. Even though Sam was strong enough to move it by himself. On the window were the words _Ashland Supplies_. But some of the letters in _Supplies_ looked like they had been scratched away. S-U-P was visible, though. Danashulps…that's what the word had spelled. Ashland Sup.**

"**Our little mystery word," the detective said.**

**The sun was shining through the window and the word reflected on the wall behind us. "Now the extra letters make sense," Sam said, taking something out of his jacket. An EMF meter.**

"**What does that do?" Ballard asked.**

"**Spirits and certain remains give of electromagnetic frequencies."**

"**So, if Claire's body was here, that would indicate that?"**

"**Yeah," Sam answered. "Well, that's the theory, anyway."**

**We walked over to the wall and the EMF started going off. "Okay, find me something to break this wall with." It was a brick wall. We ended up using a pipe thing that I'd found in a pile of junk in the corner of the room. I would've done it myself-I didn't want Sam to hurt his wrist again. I mean, it was still in a cast and he could've rebroken it easily. But he was stronger than I was, so…he had to do it.**

**He knocked a couple of the bricks away and then used his flashlight to look behind the wall. "Yeah, there's definitely something in there." The detective moved toward Sam, and Sam started using his elbow to break the rest of the wall down. Ouch. "Ya know, this is bothering me."**

**Ballard looked at him strangely. "Well, you _are_ digging up a corpse." I laughed.**

"**No, not that," Sam answered. "That's pretty par for the course, actually." He grinned and continued to break the wall down. "Um, it's just…I mean, no vengeful spirit I've ever tussled with _wanted_ to be wasted, so why the hell would Claire lead us to her remains? It doesn't make any sense."**

**Hm. He had a point. "And she didn't try to kill Detective Ballard," I added.**

**Sam finished breaking through the wall and said, "give me a hand." Sam and I lifted a tarp-I was sure there was a body in it-from inside the wall and we set it on the ground. There was rope tied around two places, which Sam cut with a pocketknife. There was a skeleton inside.**

"**I'm guessing that's Claire," I said quietly.**

**Ballard squatted down beside me. "Look at her wrists." They'd been bound together with something metal but they weren't handcuffs.**

"**Yeah, they'd be bruised just like yours," Sam said. Ballard reached around me to grab a necklace that was around the skeleton's neck. "Does that necklace mean something to you?"**

"**I've seen it before," she said, dropping it back into place. "It's rare. It was custom-made over on Carson Street. I have one just like it." She grabbed at a necklace she was wearing around her own neck. It had the same design as Claire's had. "Pete gave it to me."**

"**Pete, your partner Pete?" I asked and she nodded. Hm. So that connected Pete Sheridan to all the victims. He'd known Claire, apparently. And Tony Giles had been an attorney, so, chances were that Pete had known him, too. And through Tony, Pete had known Karen.**

"**Huh." Sam stood up. "Now this all makes perfect sense."**

**Apparently it didn't make too much sense, because Detective Ballard said, "I'm sorry?" just as I said, "what?"**

"**Yeah," Sam nodded as he started to explain. "Ya see, Claire's not a vengeful spirit. She's a death omen."**

**Hm. I'd heard of death omens before. Like banshees in Ireland. But the accounts of them were varied. Some called them an omen, others said they were the cause of death.**

"**Excuse me?" Ballard asked, standing up.**

"**Wait, so…Claire's not killing anyone?" I asked, standing up as well.**

"**No," Sam said, shaking his head. "She's trying to warn them. You see, sometimes spirits…they-they don't want vengeance, they want justice, which is why she led us here in the first place. She wants us to know who her killer is." He paused and looked thoughtfully at Ballard. "Detective, how much do you know about your partner?"**

**She looked like she'd had an epiphany and then she said, "Oh my God." She took a deep breath and then sighed. "About a year ago, some heroin went missing from lock up. Obviously, it was a cop. We never found out who did it, but whoever did it would need someone to fence their product."**

"**A heroin dealer." Claire had been one. And the pieces were just falling into place. "Claire."**

**Wow. No wonder Sheridan had been so anxious for me to tell on Dean. He'd been wanting to cover his own butt.**

"**Well, this changes things, right?" I asked. "The evidence no longer points to Dean." Ballard didn't say anything, she just took out her cell phone and dialed a number. Then she turned away from us. I looked up at Sam. "What happens if she can't get him out? I mean, what are _we_ supposed to do?"**

**Sam sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, he's been arrested before, but not for anything like this."**

**I blinked a few times. Sam didn't know what to do; that surprised me…and scared me. "Well, we can't just leave him there." There was a frantic edge to my voice, and I knew it. But Sam was telling me he didn't know how to get Dean out.**

"**Pete just left the precinct," Ballard said, hanging her phone up. "With Dean."**

"**What?" Sam and I asked in unison.**

"**He said the prisoner had to be transferred, and he just took him. Dispatch has been calling, but he won't answer the radio."**

"**Radio?" Sam asked. "He took a county vehicle?" Ballard nodded. "Then it should have a LoJack. You've just gotta get it turned on."**

"**We can do that as we're driving, yes?" I asked semi-impatiently. "I mean, I know this guy's your partner, but he's killed before, so…" I trailed off, not wanting to say what was painfully obvious. Her partner could kill Dean. And probably would if we didn't get there fast enough.**

**So, thankfully, we did. We ended up in some wooded area and we saw Pete pointing his gun at Dean, who was on the ground. Apparently, his plan had been to kill Dean the whole time. Anyway, our detective-the good one-drew her gun on Pete.**

"**Pete! Put the gun down."**

**He looked our way. "Diana? How'd you find me?"**

"**I know about Claire." She'd ignored his question.**

"**I don't know what you're talking about."**

"**Put the gun down!"**

**Pete shook his head, glancing between Dean and Diana. "No, I don't think so. You're fast. Pretty sure I'm faster."**

**If I'd had a gun, I'd have shown him who was faster. I wouldn't have killed him, of course, but I still would've shot him. Because you can interrogate me, you can threaten to charge me with aiding and abetting, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend. But, then again, it was probably a good thing that I didn't have a gun because I was pretty sure it was illegal to assault an officer of the law. Even a crooked one like Pete.**

"**I didn't do anything, Diana."**

"**It's a little late for that."**

"**It wasn't my fault. Claire was gonna turn me in, I had no choice."**

"**And Tony? Karen?"**

"**Same thing!" Pete shouted. He was confessing to everything. Apparently, he wasn't a very smart person. "Tony scrubbed the money, then he got skittish, and then he wanted to come clean. I'm sure he told Karen everything. It was a mess, I had to clean it up. I just panicked."**

**Diana shook her head. "How many more people are gonna die over this, Pete?"**

"**There's a way out," Pete replied. "This Dean kid's a freakin' gift. We can pin the whole thing on him, okay? No trial, nothin'. Just-just one more dead scumbag."**

**This guy was deluded. I scoffed. "Oh, please tell me you're not buying this," I was talking to Diana. I knew she cared about this guy and love can make you do very stupid things. "I mean, it's apparently in his nature to turn on people. And what about Sam and me? We already know everything, so that sorta automatically leads to us getting killed."**

"**Diana, please. I still love you." She lowered her gun and he said thank you.**

**Pete turned back to Dean and, before I had the time to become properly mad, Diana shot him in the arm. He fell to the ground, dropping his gun along the way. Dean rolled backwards and that's when I noticed that both his hands and feet had shackles on them.**

"**Then why don't you buy me another necklace, you ass." Diana moved towards him, but Pete grabbed her legs and tackled her to the ground.**

**Sam and I moved forward; Sam towards the gun, me towards Dean. But then Pete stood up, grabbing his gun in the process, and pointed it back and forth between me and Sam.**

"**Don't move," he yelled. So we stopped moving. But it didn't take us long to get out of that predicament. Claire showed up, bringing with her the same feelings of emptiness she'd brought before. Pete saw her and Diana shot him. Then Claire disappeared, I assumed for good.**

**I looked at Diana, who was still seated on the ground. She looked shocked and sad. I felt a surge of sympathy go through me. They'd been a couple and she'd had to kill him. I went towards Pete's body and squatted down beside it and started searching for a key so I could get Dean free.**

**To be honest, I felt sorta bad. I mean, I'd kinda pushed aside Diana's feelings because Dean had been in trouble. That was selfish of me, wasn't it? I mean, what did that say about me? It wasn't right to put Dean before everyone else…was it?**

**Whatever, I could worry about my issues later. Right now I needed to find a key. _The_ key, actually. After I found it, I went over to Dean and unlocked the chains that were binding him. Then he stood up.**

**I looked at him for a second before I plowed into him, wrapping my arms around him.**

**He kinda made an _oof_ noise before he responded in kind. "Hey, I'm okay." I felt his voice vibrating in his chest, kind of like when a cat purrs.**

**I pulled away slightly before looking up at him again. I pushed myself up on my tiptoes; he knew what I wanted. Our lips met and the first thing I noticed was that this wasn't like our other kisses had been. It was desperate and needy and frustrated. On my part, anyway. And I hated myself for it, this co-dependency I was forming with him. It probably wasn't at all healthy.**

**Anyway, it was desperate because I could've easily lost him, this man that I loved. And it was needy for the same reason…frustrated because I couldn't have done anything about it.**

**Dean seemed to know that I needed this, this closeness, so he kissed right along with me. And I didn't pull away until I needed oxygen-badly. And then I realized that, oh my goodness, I was crying. Seriously, who cries when they're kissing?**

**Me, apparently.**

"**I'm okay," he whispered, repeating himself.**

"**Don't do that again." I hugged him again and I knew he got it. The whole him getting caught thing. I didn't want that to happen again. Ever.**

**I let go of him and turned to look at the detective again. She was leaning over Pete's body. Sam had been standing there awkwardly, probably because Dean and I had been kissing.**

"**You doin' all right?" Sam asked Diana as she stood up.**

"**No. Not really." She stopped in front of us. "The death omen, Claire…what happens to her now?"**

"**It should be over," Sam said. "She should be at rest."**

"**So, uh…what now officer?" Dean asked hesitantly, and I felt myself tense at that question.**

"**Pete did confess to me. He screwed up both your cases royally. I'd say there's a good chance that we could get your cases dismissed."**

**Ha. Good thing about being a good girl…I'd been released legally, so they didn't have a case against me. But Sam, on the other hand, had had to escape.**

"**You could take care of that for us?" Sam asked gratefully.**

"**I hope so," Diana replied. "But the St. Louis murder charges-that's another story. I can't help you." She paused. "Unless…I just happened to turn my back, and you walked away. I could tell them that the suspect escaped."**

"**For which I had nothing to do with, right?" I asked, hopefully.**

**She smiled slightly. "You were never here."**

"**Wait," Sam started. "Are you sure? I mean, you could lose your job over something like this."**

"**I just want you guys out there doing what you do best. Trust me. I'll sleep better at night. And listen, you need to watch your back. They're gonna be lookin' for both of you right now. So get out of here. I've gotta radio this in."**

**She turned to walk away but Dean stopped her.**

"**Hey, uh, you wouldn't happen to know where my car is, by chance?"**

"**It's at the impound yard on Robertson." Dean thought about it for a second before nodding. "Don't even think about it," she said, pointing at him.**

**Oh, he was. And he was definitely thinking about going through with it. Not that we were gonna tell her that.**

"**It's okay. Don't worry," Sam said. "We'll just improvise. I mean, we're pretty good at that."**

"**Yeah, I've noticed," she said, smiling.**

**Sam and Dean started walking away, but I stayed where I was. "I'm really sorry…about your partner." I looked over to where Pete had fallen. "That can't have been easy."**

"**No, it wasn't. But it was the right thing to do."**

**I took that in, nodding, before turning around to catch up with the guys. My guys.**

**------------- -**

**Sam, Dean, and I made our way to town again. We were gonna go get his car and he was gonna let me pay for it. Even though he didn't know it yet.**

"**All right, guys. We're gonna stop by the bank first."**

"**Why?" Dean asked.**

"**Because I'm paying to get your car out of the lot."**

"**You don't have to do that," Sam said. "We can easily get it out."**

"**Not legally. So we're gonna do this my way." Sam and Dean didn't look too happy. "Listen…I know you're men and you like supporting me because I'm a girl, but you need to let me pay for stuff for a while. The police have all your credit card names, so if you use them they can track you. I have the money to do this with, so let me." We stopped walking and I turned to look at them sternly. "Please? I refuse to lose the two of you over something stupid like credit card scams. So you can't use your cards until you get them under new names."**

"**Okay," Sam said, the first to agree. "What do you wanna do?"**

"**We're going to the bank. I'm gonna get enough money that it'll last for a while. Motel room, food, gas, everything. You _can't_ use the cards you have," I repeated. "Then we're gonna check out of the motel room Sam was in and we're gonna leave."**

**I realized I was being strict, and I hoped they got where I was coming from, but what I'd said was true. I refused to lose them over this. I mean, I didn't want to lose them, period, but I _wasn't_ gonna lose them because they were using fake names on credit cards.**

* * *

**Okay, so I've finally updated. I usually update sooner, but my mind has been sorta stuck in fourth season. LOL. Anyway, let me know what you think about Alyson's whole complex issue thing. The whole I love him, but I hate that I'm becoming so dependent on someone thing. She's gonna have to get over that, huh? LOL.**


	15. Crossroad Blues Pt One

**Crossroad Blues  
Part One**

**It had been three days since the brothers and I had left Baltimore and things seemed to be going pretty smoothly. Scarily so, actually. Anyway, it was kinda weird, actually, but I'd been a little paranoid about the guys getting arrested again, so they let me pay for stuff just like I'd told them I was going to. Dean had sorta been against it at first, but then he saw how strongly I felt about it and had relented. Even if it was reluctantly.**

**Anyway, we were in a motel room, me and Dean on one bed, Sam on the other. Dean was cleaning his guns and making sure things were in working order. I was beside him, watching him. Well, actually, I was glancing between him and Sam, who was using his computer and reading from a newspaper at the same time. He'd found a case, he'd said, but he hadn't told us much about it. Something about black dogs and Animal Control.**

"**So, what are you looking for?" I asked Sam.**

"**Well, I was checking on Dean," he replied, which made no sense because Dean was right here. He turned the laptop around so I could see what he'd been looking at. Dean's mugshot was on the monitor.**

**Oh. That's what he'd been checking on. "Wow. So much for a low profile."**

"**You've got a warrant in St. Louis, and now you're officially in the Fed's database."**

"**Dude, I'm like Dillinger or something." Dean smirked.**

"**It's not funny, Dean," I said. "They're gonna be looking for you now."**

"**She's right," Sam said. "It makes the job harder. We've gotta be more careful now."**

"**Well, what do they got on you?" Dean asked Sam.**

**Sam turned the computer back around and typed in his name. "I'm sure they just…haven't posted it yet."**

"**What, no accessory? Nothing?"**

"**Shut up." Sam sounded disappointed, which was just weird, because, honestly, why would you be disappointed about that.**

"**You're jealous," Dean accused, laughing.**

"**No, I'm not," Sam declared.**

"**Uh-huh. All right, what do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless young man, you?" Sam picked up a newspaper-the one beside him.**

"**Architect Sean Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home- a condominium he designed."**

"**Hm. Build a high-rise then jump off the top of it. That's classy," Dean joked. "When did he call Animal Control?"**

"**Two days earlier," Sam answered.**

"**Complaining about a black dog?" I asked.**

"**Yeah." Sam nodded. "A vicious, wild, black dog. The authorities couldn't find it, no one else saw it. In fact, the authorities are a little confused as to how a wild dog could get past the doorman, take the elevator up, and start roaming the halls of the cushiest joint in town. After that, no more calls, he doesn't show up for work. Two days later, he takes the swan dive."**

"**Do you think we're dealing with an actual black dog?" Dean asked.**

"**Maybe."**

**I raised my hand slightly. "Now, what exactly is a black dog? I mean, I've heard that they were death omens."**

"**The lore on it is pretty vague," Sam answered. He started typing again. "I mean, there's spectral black dogs all over the world, but some say they're animal spirits-" he looked at me "-others say death omens. But, anyway, whatever they are, they're big and nasty."**

**Sam turned the laptop back around towards us. He'd been on some Norse mythology site. There was a picture of a Viking and a big black dog. The dog was growling at the Viking.**

"**Can I see that?" I asked, pointing at the computer. So Sam handed it to me. I began reading quietly to myself.**

**Basically, the website said a bunch of different things, like they didn't know where the dog had come from, either. Like, one source said it was the son of one of the gods the Vikings had worshipped. Another source said the black dog had been born in Hell. And yet another source said it was a punishment sent from disobeying one of the gods they'd worshipped. And my personal favorite was the one that said black dogs were born in a pack of real dogs, but they were cursed with height and they would grow to be as tall as the sky and overshadow the dogs below them.**

"**Yeah, and I bet they could hump the crap outta your leg," Dean said. "I mean, look at it, huh?" I laughed, because Dean _would_ be the one to say something like that. "What? They could."**

"**Yeah, it'd break every bone in your leg and you'd be in therapy your whole life," I stated. "Anyway, where did this happen?" I looked at Sam.**

"**Mississippi."**

"**Okay. And what exactly are _we_ supposed to do? Does it say how we kill it? I mean, that thing is huge."**

"**Well, first we should actually find out if that's what we're dealing with."**

**Hm. Solid call.**

**------------- -**

**Mississippi was only two states away, and with Dean driving it wouldn't take us long to get there. Anyway, we were going to visit some Adam Sant guy. He'd been partners with Sean Boyden. We were going to see if he knew anything that could help us figure out what we were dealing with.**

**We'd already crossed out the _dog growing as tall as the sky_ lore. That just wasn't probable.**

**But the whole worshipping and pissing off some false god seemed probable. And possible. But I guess we'd just have to wait and see.**

**------------- -**

**Adam Sant owned a house in this little community where all the houses looked the same. I kinda wondered if he'd built it, or maybe his partner had. Anyway, it was white and had bluish-green shutters on the windows. It was a two-story house, but we were downstairs in the kitchen. We were pretending to be reporters from some architect thing. And we were in our _business_ clothes again. I even had a pad and paper, pretending to take notes.**

"**So, you and Sean Boyden were business partners for almost ten years, right?" Sam asked.**

"**That's right," Adam replied. "Now, one more time, this is for…?"**

"**A tribute to Mr. Boyden. _Architectural Digest_," Dean answered. Adam laughed humorlessly. "What?"**

"**Nothing, it's just…a tribute. Yeah, see, Sean always got the tributes." Adam sounded jealous and a little bitter. "He kills himself, leaves me and his family behind. But he gets another tribute."**

"**Why would he kill himself?" I asked. "Do you know?"**

"**I-I have no clue. I mean, he lived a charmed life."**

"**How so?" Sam asked curiously.**

"**He was a flat-out genius," Adam said. "I mean, I'm capable, but next to him, uh…and it wasn't always like that, either." He paused, looking at us. "I mean, there was a time when he couldn't even design a pup tent. Hell, ten years ago, he was working' as a bartender at this place called Lloyd's. It was a complete dive."**

"**What changed?" I asked.**

"**You got me. But overnight, he gets this huge commission and he starts designing the most ingenious buildings anyone has ever seen. It was like the level of Van Gogh and Mozart." He paused, shaking his head. "I mean, to have that kind of talent…why would you just throw it away?"**

**We asked a few more questions and then we left. We were gonna go to the Animal Protection Agency to see if anyone else had seen any big black dogs running around.**

"**Well," I said, getting into the car, "the whole worshipping a god thing is starting to make more sense. He would worship the thing and he got what he wanted. Maybe he did something that made it angry."**

**Sam nodded. "But if that's the case, we gotta find out what he was praying to."**

"**Well, if he was praying for a long and healthy life, he should get his money back," Dean joked.**

"**Yeah, really," I replied.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the Animal Protection Agency, Dean went in but Sam and I stayed in the car. And when Dean came back and got in the car, he had a piece of paper with him. Well, a couple pieces, actually.**

"**So, the secretary's name is Carly. She's twenty-three, she kayaks, and, uh, they're real." He grinned and looked back at me. **

**I responded by smiling pleasantly back at him. "You're not getting to me." And he wasn't. Dean was a natural flirt. I didn't expect him to change that just because he was with me. As long as flirting was _all_ he did.**

"**Anyway, you didn't happen to ask her if she's seen any black dogs lately, did you?" Sam asked, and Dean showed him the papers in his hand. On top of the first one was a Post-it note.**

"**Every complaint called in this week about anything big, black or dog-like. There's nineteen calls in all, and, uh, I don't know what this thing is." He pulled the Post-it off the paper and handed it to Sam, who laughed.**

"**You mean Carly's MySpace address?"**

"**Yeah, MySpace, what the hell is that?" Dean honestly didn't know. "Seriously, is that some sort of porn site?"**

**Sam looked back at me. We shared a look and then we burst out laughing. "It's not a porn site," I said between laughs.**

**After things settled down, Sam asked. "Well, where are we going first?"**

"**Well, I figured we'd just go in order," Dean replied smartly.**

"**What are we supposed to be now?" I asked.**

"**Animal Control."**

**Hm. Okay.**

**The first four names didn't turn up anything. Two of them were about strays in the neighborhood, and the other two were about dogs barking and not stopping.**

**But the fifth one-a Dr. Sylvia Perlman-was where we were now. Her maid had let us in. The house was huge, like, separate wings huge. The problem was that the doctor wasn't here. And the maid didn't know when she'd be back.**

"**So, where did the doctor go?" Dean asked.**

"**I'm not sure. She just packed and went. She didn't say where." She looked back and forth between the three of us. "That stray dog, did you find it, finally?"**

"**Uh, not yet," Sam said regretfully. "Ya know, you didn't ever happen to see the dog yourself, did you?"**

"**Well, no, I never even heard it." She led us through the house towards the kitchen. We passed a bunch of different tapestries and pictures along the way. "I was almost starting to think the doctor was imaging things, but she's not like that, so…"**

"**Hey, what exactly does she do at the hospital?" I asked out of curiosity.**

"**She's the chief surgeon," the maid answered.**

"**She's gotta be what, forty-two, forty-three? That's pretty young for that job," Dean declared.**

**The maid nodded. "Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position ten years ago."**

"**Huh," Sam said. "An overnight success, ten years ago." He looked at Dean and then at me.**

"**We know a guy like that." He started looking around the kitchen and spotted a picture on the refrigerator, so he stepped closer to check it out. He pulled it off and turned it over. "Lloyd's Bar. November 1996." It was now November again, only ten years later.**

**After we excused ourselves we went back to the car and all three of us were convinced that we had to go and visit that bar. So we did.**

**It had been built on the side of a graveled road. In the middle of a four-way intersection. On each side of the road there were yellow flowers, which Dean found weird for some reason.**

"**What are they?" I asked.**

"**Yarrow flowers," Sam said. "I think they're used in summoning rituals."**

"**Summoning? Like, as in, summoning a demon, summoning?"**

"**Yeah," Dean answered. "So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago, right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyd's."**

"**Where there just happens to be a crossroads." Sam paused thoughtfully. "Ya think?"**

"**Let's find out," Dean said. He walked over to the middle of the road. "This seem about dead center to you?"**

"**Yeah," I replied, walking over to him. "So?"**

"**Just stand right here. Don't move. I'm gonna go get a shovel."**

**He was gonna dig in the middle of the road and it was broad daylight. Thankfully, we were in the middle of nowhere. Sam came to stand beside me.**

"**I don't get it," I whispered in his direction.**

"**You ever hear about making deals with the Devil?"**

"**Yeah…"**

"**Well, we think that's what's happening here. Except they're not making deals with _the_ Devil. Just more like his sidekicks."**

"**Demons." Wow. I got it now. And I kinda wished I didn't.**

**Anyway, Dean dug a small hole and then his shovel hit something. "Yahtzee."**

**He bent down to pick it up. It was a small metal box. Dean opened it up and we saw that there was a jar of dirt in it, along with bones, a picture, and some hairy-wire stuff.**

"**I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt. And a black cat bone," Sam said, picking up the small jar.**

"**That's serious spell work," Dean said. "I mean, that's deep south hoodoo stuff."**

"**Used to summon a demon," Sam said, shaking his head.**

"**Not just summon one, " Dean replied. "Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing." Dean scoffed. "Ya know, 'cause that always ends good."**

**Sam looked like he had an epiphany. "And they're seein' dogs, all right, but not black dogs. They're seeing hellhounds."**

"**Huh?" I asked. I didn't know what they were talking about.**

"**Demonic pit bulls," Sam specified.**

"**Oh."**

"**And whoever this demon is, it's back and it's collecting," Dean said. "And that doctor lady, wherever she's runnin'…she ain't running fast enough."**

**And, okay, this was way out of my league. I mean, ghosts, and demons were one thing…but hellhounds…How were we supposed to _fight_ that? From what we'd found out so far, only the person who'd made the deal could actually _see_ the hellhounds. And I didn't really feel like fighting a monstrous dog from Hell that I couldn't see.**

**Not to mention, these people that made the deals, they more than likely knew what they were getting into, yet they'd done it anyway. So it was their own fault. And they'd done it for stupid reasons. I mean, becoming an architect and a chief surgeon. If you couldn't get there on your own, then, obviously, you weren't meant to. You shouldn't sell you soul to do it. I mean, it's stupid to sell your soul, period, but definitely not to just make yourself better at your job.**

"**So, it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right? I mean, _selling your soul at the crossroads_ kind of deal?" Sam's voice brought me out of my thoughts.**

"**Yeah, except that wasn't a legend," Dean said. "I mean, you know his music." Sam looked confused. "You don't know any Robert Johnson songs?" Sam shook his head and Dean looked at me.**

"**I don't even know who you're talking about," I admitted.**

"**He's only the greatest blues player that ever lived. And there's occult references all over his lyrics. I mean, _Crossroad Blues, Me and the Devil Blues, Hellhound on my Trail_." Dean was just spouting out names and they didn't strike a chord in either Sam or me. Dean sighed and shook his head, like he was wondering how we couldn't know this. "Story goes that he died choking on his own blood. He was hallucinating and-and muttering about big, evil dogs."**

"**And now it's happening all over again," Sam said.**

"**Yeah."**

"**Well, what are we supposed to do?" I asked. "I mean, that doctor is as good as dead."**

"**We've gotta find out if anyone else struck any bargains around here," Sam said.**

**Dean scoffed. "Great. So, we've gotta clean up these people's mess for 'em? I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their head and forced 'em to play Deal or No Deal."**

"**Yeah, these people did this to themselves," I said. "And unless you know how to break a deal, then they're screwed anyway. We shouldn't get their hopes up by saying we can help."**

"**So, what, we should leave them to die?" Sam asked.**

"**Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save them?" Dean asked back.**

"**Dean…" Sam sounded like he didn't approve of Dean's attitude.**

"**All right, fine. Rituals like this, you've gotta put your own photo into the mix, right?" The picture that had been in the metal box. It belonged to some black guy, but there was no name, so I didn't know who it was. "So, this guy probably summoned the thing. Let's see if anyone inside knows him. If he's still alive."**

"**Okay, well, you guys go ahead," I said. "I'm gonna wait in the car."**

**I watched as they went towards the entrance of the bar, and then I went and got in the car. I didn't know what I thought about this. I mean, on the one hand I like helping people. It made me feel good inside. But then, on the other hand, it was like these people had killed themselves. And for what? A better career? That was selfish and stupid.**

**By the time the guys got back in the car I was in full-brood mode. And I usually didn't do broody.**

"**His name is George Darrow. He's quite the regular at Lloyd's." Dean started the car. "He lives in some apartment complex in town."**

"**Do you think he's still alive?" I asked, and both of them shrugged.**

"**We'll see," Dean replied.**

**------------- -**

**George Darrow's apartment complex was in the bad part of town. "So, what do you think he made a deal for?" I asked.**

"**I don't know," Sam said. "But apparently he didn't do it for cash."**

**We went inside and up a flight of stairs. "Ah, who knows?" Dean said. "Maybe his place is full of babes in Princess Leia bikinis." Sam scoffed and I rolled my eyes. "I'm just sayin', this guy has got one epic bill come due. I hope, at least, he asked for something fun."**

**We went up three more flights of stairs and then we reached apartment 4C. There was some black powder stuff in front of the door. Dean bent down to examine it. "What is that, pepper?" He touched it, bringing some of it up to his nose and smelled it. Well, if he sneezed, we would know it was pepper. He stood back up.**

**The door opened and we saw an older black man standing there. He looked like he was in his mid-fifties. He had gray hair and a gray beard.**

"**I'm not buyin' anything," the man said and began to shut the door.**

"**Ya know," Dean started, "usually, when you want to keep somethin' evil out you go for the salt. Looks like you went for the wrong shaker there."**

**I assumed this guy was George. George looked down at the black powder. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."**

"**I'm talking about this," Dean said, taking George's picture out and holding it up for the man to see. "Tell me…you seen that hellhound yet?"**

**A trace of fear went through George's eyes, but then it vanished.**

"**Look, we wanna help. Please, just five minutes," Sam pleaded.**

**George looked like he was considering turning us away, but he didn't. "Five minutes." He stepped out of the way, and the three of us stepped over the line of pepper, or whatever it was.**

**The first thing I noticed when I got inside was that there were paintings littering the walls. And they weren't exactly bad, but they were kinda scary, and some were depressing.**

"**So, what _is_ that stuff out front?"**

"**Goofer dust." Mr. Darrow went to a table and poured himself a drink. Scotch, I think. Sam and Dean exchanged a confused glance. "What? You think you know somethin' 'bout somethin' but not goofer dust?" He tossed a brown cloth bag to Dean, who caught it with one hand.**

"**Well, we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous." Dean opened the bag and looked inside. "What is it?"**

"**Hoodoo," George answered, then took a sip of his drink. "My grandma taught me…keeps out demons."**

"**Ha, demons we know," Dean said.**

"**Well, then, keep it. Maybe it'll do you some good." George went over to a chair beside a canvas and sat down. He'd taken his drink with him; the bottle and the glass. "Four minutes left."**

"**Mr. Darrow," Sam started, "we know you're in trouble."**

"**Yeah, that he got himself into," I muttered at the floor. Dean looked like he agreed with me, but Sam glared at me.**

**Sam turned back to George. "But it's not hopeless, all right? There's gotta be something we can do."**

"**Listen…I get that you wanna help. But sometimes, a person makes their bed and they've just got to lie down in it. I'm the one that called that demon in the first place." He took another sip.**

"**What'd you do it for?" Dean asked.**

"**I was weak," George declared. "I mean, who don't wanna be great? Who don't want their life to mean something? I just…" he trailed off and sighed. "I just never thought about the price."**

"**Was it worth it?"**

"**Hell no." George looked around the room. "Course I asked for talent. Should've gone for fame. But I'm still broke…and lonely. Just now, I've got this pile of paintings don't nobody want. But that wasn't the worst." He paused and for a second I didn't think he was going to continue, but he did. "The demon didn't leave. I never counted on that. After our deal was done, the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a week, just chattin', makin' more deals. I tried to warn folks, but who's gonna listen to an old drunk."**

"**How many others are there?" Sam asked.**

"**Uh, this architect, a doctor lady. I kept up with them, they've been in the papers." George scoffed. "Least they got famous." And he took another drink.**

"**Who else, George?" Dean asked, sounding like he really wanted to know. "Come on, think."**

"**One more. A nice guy, too. Hudson…Evan, I think. I don't know what he asked for. It don't matter now. He's done for."**

"**No," Sam said. "No, there's gotta be a way."**

**George put his glass down and stood up. "You don't get it. I don't want a way. I called that thing. I brought this on myself. I brought it on them. I'm going to hell one way or another." He closed his eyes, like he was gathering his thoughts, and then he opened them again. "All I want is to finish my last painting. A day or two and I'm done. I'm just tryin' to hold 'em off till then. Buy a little time." He sighed. "Okay, it's time you went. Go help somebody that wants help."**

**Sam, Dean, and I exchanged a glance before we left. We got back to the car and I knew what we were going to do next. Find Evan Hudson's address and go pay him a little visit.**

* * *

Ahhhh! I've made Alyson state her views on the whole selling your soul thing. So how is she going to react when she realizes that John did that for Dean. That's why this chapter is so short. I was going to just combine the whole thing, but I couldn't figure out how to write her in the second part. LOL. Anyway, let me know what you think. And thanks to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter. I know I probably sound like a broken record by now, but reviews are the best thing ever, to a writer, anyway.


	16. Crossroad Blues Pt Two

**Crossroad Blues  
Part Two**

**By the time we found out where Evan Hudson lived it was nighttime. None of us thought he was still alive, but Sam said we had to try. So we were going to. But I didn't have high hopes at all.**

**And I was still of the opinion that they got themselves into this mess, so if they did die, then it was their own fault. Their own stupidity, their own weakness.**

**Anyway, we pulled up to Evan Hudson's house-it was big but not huge. We got out of the car and went up the porch steps and Sam knocked.**

**A man opened the door. "Yes?" he asked. He didn't look panicked or anything. He looked pretty calm, actually.**

"**Evan Hudson?"**

"**Yeah." Okay, so he wasn't dead. _Yet_.**

"**You ever been to a bar called Lloyd's?" Dean asked. "It would've been about ten years ago."**

**Now, he did look panicked. And he slammed the door in our faces. Probably locked it, too.**

"**Oh, come on, we're not demons," Dean shouted.**

**I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Real subtle, Dean. Nice." I looked at the closed door. "How are we gonna get in?"**

**Dean kicked the door open; that's how we got in. We didn't see Evan anywhere, but then we heard a door closing down the hall, which was a good thing since we would've wasted our time going upstairs and looking for him there.**

**We went to the first door we came to, and Dean was going to kick that one, too, but Sam stopped him in time. Sam opened the door-it hadn't been locked-and we went in. Sam looked at Dean, well, _glared_ at him, actually. He wanted Dean to chill out.**

**Anyway, the room we'd gone into looked like it was an office of some kind. And Evan was standing in the middle of it.**

"**Please!" he shouted. "Don't hurt me."**

**Sam held up his hands in a sign of peace. "We're not gonna hurt you, all right? We're here to help you."**

"**We know all about the genius deal you made," Dean said.**

"**What?" Evan asked, shocked. "How?"**

"**Doesn't matter," Sam said. "All that matters is we're trying to stop it."**

"**How do I know you're not lying?"**

"**Because if we were here to collect, you'd be dead already," I replied dispassionately. "We wouldn't be talking to you, we would be killing you."**

"**Can you stop it?" Evan asked breathlessly.**

"**I don't know," Sam said honestly. "We'll try."**

**Evan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't wanna die."**

"**Of course you don't. Not now," Dean said, smirking.**

"**Dean, stop," Sam said, sounding like he was tired of the attitude.**

**Dean, of course, kept going. "What'd you ask for, anyway, huh? To never need Viagra, bowl a perfect game, what?"**

**Evan sighed again and looked at Dean. "My wife."**

**Okay, and I didn't know what to think of that. Selling your soul to make someone love you…was just _wrong_.**

"**Right, getting the girl. Well, that's worth a trip to Hell for," Dean said sarcastically.**

"**Dean, stop," Sam said again. Only, this time he sounded aggravated.**

"**No," Evan said, surprising me. "He's right. I made the deal. Nobody twisted my arm. That, uh…woman, or whatever she was, at the bar…she said I could have anything I wanted. I thought she was nuts at first, but-" he broke off and sighed again. "I don't know. I was…I was desperate."**

**A confused look passed over Sam's face. "Desperate?"**

"**Julie was dying," Evan whispered.**

"**Wait, so you did it to save her?" I asked, stepping forward. Wow, this changed things a little. Now I didn't think he was weak. Just desperate, like he'd said. Selfish and desperate.**

"**She had cancer. They had stopped treatment, they were moving her into hospice. They kept saying "Matter of days". So, yeah, I made the deal. And I'd do it again. I'd have died for her on the spot."**

"**Did you ever think about her in all this?" Dean asked.**

"**I _did_ this for her," Evan declared.**

"**You sure about that?" Dean asked harshly. "Because I think you did it for yourself…so you wouldn't have to live without her. But, guess what, she's gonna have to live without you now. And what if she knew how much it cost? What if she knew it cost your soul? How do you think she'd feel?"**

**I looked in Dean's direction. I could tell from the look on his face that he was talking about John. He was thinking that John had made a deal. Traded one life for another. Traded his _soul_. To bring Dean back to life.**

"**Okay, that's enough," Sam said quietly. He could tell what Dean was thinking, too. "Evan, sit tight, all right? We're gonna figure this out."**

**Dean went out of the room, and Sam and I followed him. "Are you all right?" Sam asked him.**

"**Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Liar. "Hey, I've got an idea." Dean dug around in his jacket and took out the brown cloth bag that George Darrow had given us. "You throw George's hoodoo at that hellhound. Keep it away from Evan as long as you can. I'm gonna go to the crossroads and summon the demon."**

"**Summon the-" Sam broke off. "Are you nuts?"**

"**Maybe a little," Dean said. "But I can trap it. I can exorcise it, and I can buy us time to figure out something more permanent."**

"**Yeah, but how _much_ time?"**

"**I don't know, a while. I mean, it's not easy for those suckers to claw their way back from Hell and into the sunshine."**

"**No," Sam said firmly, and I agreed. "No way."**

"**You guys aren't allowed to say no. Not unless you've got a better idea."**

"**Dean, you can forget it, all right? I'm not letting you summon that demon."**

"**And why not?" Dean used his _I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want_ voice.**

"**Because I don't like where your head is at right now, that's why not."**

"**What are you talking about?" Dean asked.**

**He knew what Sam was talking about, so I called BS. "You think John made one of those deals. To save you."**

**He glared at me at first, like I was the most offensive thing ever, and then the fire in his eyes died. He just looked sad. "It fits, doesn't it? I'm alive, Dad's dead. The yellow-eyed demon was involved." He paused. "What if he did? What if he struck a deal? My life for his soul." He sounded really kinda…broken.**

**And, really, I wanted to go to him, comfort him, but I couldn't. For one, what was I supposed to say to that. And two, I just got _really_ shaky all of a sudden. Like _hyperventilating_ shaky.**

"**They're here," I whispered. "The hellhounds."**

**Dean looked at me and then at Sam. "Just keep him alive, okay?" Sam and I didn't move. "Go!"**

"**Dean, you can't go alone," I said weakly. Oh, this hellhound was kicking my ass. It didn't give me the chills, exactly. It made me feel shaky and weak…and for some odd reason it gave me cramps. Maybe because it was so evil. I don't know, I mean, demons were evil, too. Anyway, I didn't need to think about that right now. I needed to think about Dean.**

"**Stay here," he said firmly.**

**I sighed and felt Sam move to go back to Evan's office. I watched as Dean went down the hallway. "Dean," I called out to him, and he stopped and turned back around. "You better come back to us," I said firmly. "And don't do anything stupid."**

**He nodded once and then he continued walking away.**

**I took a deep, calming breath and went back into Evan's office. Sam was putting goofer dust on the windowsill. Then he threw the bag to me and I put some near the door.**

"**What is that stuff?" Evan asked.**

"**Goofer dust," Sam said hesitantly.**

"**Are you serious?" Evan asked disbelievingly.**

**I went to the fireplace and put some in front of that, just for good measure. I mean, who knows, they might be able to come through there.**

"**You don't have to believe us," I said. "I'm not sure _I_ believe it." Way to inspire the troops, huh?**

**I gave the bag back to Sam. I needed to sit down or I was going to _fall_ down. Sam bent down and began to pour a circle of the dust around Evan, who was still standing in the middle of the room.**

"**Don't leave the circle," Sam ordered him.**

**I went to lean against the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. I still felt the hellhounds. They were close, probably just outside, trying to get in.**

**Sam stood up and threw the bag to the side. "That's the last of it," he said. And then he came to stand beside me. "You okay?"**

**I nodded, but then shook my head. "They're making me weak."**

**Suddenly, Evan turned towards the door. "Did you hear that?"**

"**No," Sam and I said.**

"**It's right outside the door." The door began to rattle; it was like something was trying to bust in. But the goofer dust was apparently doing its job.**

"**Come on," Sam said, grabbing me and taking me to the circle. I grabbed onto his arms to keep myself from falling. It seemed that the longer I was around them the weaker I got. That was no good. "As long as we stay in the circle we should be fine," Sam reminded me.**

**The door continued to rattle, continued to look like it was about to break. And then suddenly it just…stopped.**

"**What happened?" I asked. "Is it over?" Dean couldn't have summoned the thing already, I didn't think. And it still felt like they were around.**

**Evan turned around and saw…something. It was invisible to me and Sam.**

"**It's there," he whispered.**

**And, oh, God, he was staring at an air vent. An air vent that didn't have goofer dust in front of it. The grate on the vent burst off and a chair slid forward. It was like something had hit it. A dog…that was invisible.**

**Then I saw claw marks just…happening. They ended right outside the circle.**

"**Sam." I clutched his arm tighter.**

"**Just stay inside the circle."**

**I did, but every instinct was telling me to run. And whatever Dean was gonna do I hoped he did it fast. Wind started blowing, although all the windows in the room were closed. It reminded me of the time we'd exorcised Meg.**

**Papers blew off the desk, and then the lights started flickering on and off. But, yeah, the wind was blowing and that meant our dust was almost gone.**

**So we ran. Like I'd wanted to from the start. We went out into the hall and I pushed Evan in front of me. We ran towards a door at the end of the hallway.**

**Anyway, turns out, the easiest way to make a hellhound angry, is to get in the way of whatever it is that it's after. So, it tore into _me_. My left calf, to be specific. I felt its claws tear through my skin and into my muscle…and I screamed, and probably said every cuss word I could think of.**

**I almost fell, but, thankfully, Sam was there to catch me, and he dragged me into what appeared to be the laundry room. He slammed the door shut and stood in front of it.**

**I held onto Sam and stood on one foot. My left leg wasn't healing. I could feel the blood trickling from the wounds. And, I swear, it was just like when I'd been tortured. The weaker I got, the longer it took to heal. Only this time I was weak because of being around hellhounds, and not because of blood loss. And even if they were to leave right the hell now, my strength wouldn't come back instantly.**

**And, as if on cue, the door stopped shaking and I felt the hellhounds go away. So I told Sam it was gone.**

"**Sam, I-I need to sit down." So he sat me gingerly on the floor and I found that I couldn't move my leg.**

"**Are you sure it's gone?" Sam asked, and I nodded. "Okay." He looked up at Evan. "Do you have a first aid kit?" Evan nodded. "Go get it. And bring me some warm water and a towel. And a pair of scissors."**

**Evan left and I tried to breathe calmly. "I think I'll be okay. Once I get my strength back."**

"**Yeah, well, I should still take a look. I mean, you were clawed by a hellhound. It might get infected or something."**

"**Great," I said sarcastically. "An infection from Hell."**

**Sam grinned slightly. "We'll need to clean it, just to make sure. We'll…get a motel room or somethin'."**

**Evan came back into the room with the things he was meant to bring. "We can move her into the living room, if you want."**

"**I don't think I can move," I said. I was getting tired now.**

"**Here, grab onto me," Sam said, bringing my arms up around his neck, and then he picked me up, trying his best not to jostle my leg.**

**When we got to the living room, Sam laid me on the couch. It was kinda hard because I couldn't straighten my left leg out; I had to keep it bent.**

**Evan handed Sam the scissors and the first aid kit, then he put the bowl of water on the table along with the little towel he had hanging on the side of it.**

**Evan was looking at me like I was some miracle maker sent from Heaven. "Thank you." Then he looked at Sam. "Both of you." We both nodded, and then Sam went to work. I mean, he could only do so much here, but he did what he could.**

**Sam cut the leg of my jeans up to my knee-probably so it wouldn't touch my calf. Then he folded the pant-leg up. And, as I said, this was going to be hard to do. It was on the back of my leg.**

"**Did you want me to turn over, or…" I trailed off.**

"**Yeah," Sam said, nodding. He helped me turn onto my stomach so I wouldn't have to stretch my leg out much. "Oh, wow, that's a lot of blood."**

**I took his word for it since I couldn't actually see it. And I didn't want to. "Is it bad?"**

"**Uh, not…too bad." He was lying, but it was supposed to be reassuring. Well, that doesn't work when the person you're supposed to be comforting can tell when you're not telling the truth.**

"**Truth, please."**

"**It looks like it could get infected."**

"**So clean it," I said simply.**

"**I don't have anything to clean it _with_," Sam said. But he set to work getting the blood off. And I tried my best not to flinch, but the warm water stung as it entered the wound. Wounds. One for each claw-nail thing. So, four in all, I guess.**

**Sam wrapped a bandage around my leg and that made me wanna rip at it because it irritated it, but I knew if the bandage wasn't on it, more germs could get into it. So I didn't take it off.**

**Five minutes later, Dean came through the door, which was broken from where he'd kicked it in, and saw the state I was in, but he didn't say anything until after we were in the car. He'd made sure Evan was alive and then we'd left.**

"**Okay, so, what the hell happened?" Dean asked, talking about my leg.**

**I was in the backseat, trying to keep my leg from moving. "I was keeping Evan alive," I said. _Like you wanted me to do_, I added silently. I didn't say it out loud because he would think that I was blaming him, and I wasn't. But he would think so.**

"**She pushed him away from the thing, I guess, and it went after her." Sam looked over at Dean. "We need to stop soon, take care of her."**

**Dean nodded, but kept on driving. He seemed tense and I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he started talking.**

"**Dad did make that deal," he said quietly. "The demon said he made that deal. And now he's…and I'm-" he broke off.**

**I got it. John was in Hell, and Dean was alive. But I still believed what I'd said earlier. That if you sold your soul, it was your own fault when you died. And the only reason I'd helped-felt the need to help- Evan Hudson was because he'd done it to save someone. I'd felt a little bit of sympathy for Evan because he'd done it out of desperation and love, he hadn't done it to better himself.**

"**She told me that he's in Hell. She tried to deal-Dad would be alive." I felt myself tense at Dean's words, fearing where this was going. "I'd have ten years…"**

"**Dean," I said, barely more than a whisper.**

"**How could he do it?" he asked brokenly.**

**My mind flashed back to the day John had died. I'd known something was wrong. Dean had know it, too. I'd known that John had been resigned about something, I just hadn't known what until now. He'd said that Dean was alive and that was all that mattered.**

"**He did it for you," I said softly. "To save you."**

"**Exactly. How am I supposed to live with that?" Dean still sounded broken…or maybe lost is a better word. "You know, the thought of him, wherever he is right now…I mean, he spent his whole life chasing that yellow-eyed son of a bitch. He should have gone out fighting. That was supposed to be his legacy, ya know? Not bargaining with the damn thing. Not this."**

**Dean was blaming himself, and now, more than ever, he was thinking that he should have stayed dead. And, honestly, I got where he was coming from, but he hadn't _made_ John do that. Given the chance, Dean would've gladly died in the place of John or Sam. Or even me now, probably.**

"**How many people do you think Dad saved, total?" Sam asked suddenly.**

"**That's not the point, Sam." Dean wasn't getting angry. His voice was kinda lifeless, actually, which scared me. It was like we'd gone back to when John had first died. When all Dean did was eat, sleep, drink, and work on his car.**

"**Evan Hudson is safe because of what Dad taught us. _That's_ his legacy, Dean. Now, we're still here, man. So, we've gotta keep goin'. For him."**

**Dean didn't say anything, but I could tell he didn't _want_ to keep going. If it was all up to him, he'd rather quit hunting altogether. That's how he felt anyway.**

"**Hey, Dean?" Sam asked.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**When you were trapping that demon, you weren't…I mean, it was all a trick, right? You never considered actually making that deal, right?"**

**And wasn't that the million dollar question? Which Dean didn't answer. He just turned the radio on and up. So, actually, he did answer, just not with words. Yes, he had considered it because according to him, he wasn't even supposed to be here.**

**And right now, I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh, cry, scream, hit him, or kick the seat in front of me-which, let's not because my leg was still hurting. But, hey, it might get a reaction out of Dean.**

**Anyway, I went with clenching my hands as tightly into fists as they would go. I could feel my fingernails digging into the palm of my hand. I was probably drawing blood, but I didn't care.**

**I was too busy looking helplessly at the back of his head.**

**------------- -**

**When we finally found a reasonably priced motel, I gave Dean the money and then both the guys helped me out of the car and to the room because I was being stubborn and I had refused to let one of them carry me. Which was really stupid on my part because I could feel the claw marks opening up again as I tried to used my wounded leg.**

**By the time we made it to the bed, I was panting because I was in pain, and then I had to turn on my stomach again so Dean or Sam could do the antiseptic thing. I brought the corner of the pillow to my mouth just in case I needed to bite down on something to keep from screaming. I knew it was going to hurt. I mean, the water had even stung and that had been mostly chemical-free.**

**Anyway, Sam put a towel under my leg and then I saw he had a bottle of alcohol-the kind you could drink-in his hands. That's what they were going to use to clean my leg, I was pretty sure. I didn't know what kind it was.**

**Dean unwrapped the bandage from around my calf, moving it as little as possible. I jerked a little when he had to pull the part that had attached itself to the cuts. "So, uh, why didn't you heal this time?"**

"**No strength to," I replied. I was pretty sure that was it. "Or maybe because of what did it."**

"**Hm." He looked at the bottle of alcohol in Sam's hands. "Did you wanna drink first? It might numb the pain."**

**I shook my head. I hadn't drank alcohol before, and I wasn't going to start now. I could take the pain…but I didn't feel like throwing up, seeing as to how I couldn't make it to the bathroom by myself. And I didn't wanna wake up with a headache, either.**

**I turned my head into the pillow when Dead poured the alcohol on my open wounds. I couldn't see his face anymore, but I knew that he would hate the fact that he was causing me pain, so I tried not to let it show. I may have groaned once or twice, but other than that I was able to control myself.**

**I felt when he rebandaged my leg, and that didn't hurt as much as the alcohol had. In fact, my leg was still kind of burning because of it.**

"**Dean, can you go get me some ice?" I asked, even though I didn't think it would help much.**

"**Sure." He got off the bed and went out of the room. I turned onto my back, bent my leg in an angle where it would be comfortable, and let out a sigh.**

"**We should've taken you to the hospital," Sam said, worried. "You need stitches. But your healing thing is so unpredictable…I mean, you could be better in the morning."**

"**Yeah…and how would we explain it if I started healing as they were stitching me up?" I was half-joking, but, with me, it could happen. The only reason they'd taken me to the hospital that one time was because I'd been dying. "We can't hunt for a while."**

"**Yeah, gotta make sure you're okay first," Sam agreed.**

"**I wasn't talking about me." I paused. "Dean needs time to take all this in. John's deal, and where he is…Dean doesn't need to hunt. He needs…wants to be safe and secure…and he doesn't wanna lose anyone else. Not hunting, staying in one place, being stable…it's what he needs right now. Even if he won't say it out loud."**

**Sam looked at the floor. He'd said we were gonna keep going and I'd said we were gonna stay here. It seemed we were at an impasse.**

"**Dean needs to come to terms with the fact that he's a live and John's…not." I didn't say _in Hell_ because, as much as I disagreed with how he'd treated Sam and Dean-especially Dean-he'd still been basically a good man, and he didn't belong in Hell. "And I'm not talking about forever, Sam. Dean just needs enough time to get back on his feet, that's all."**

**Sam agreed reluctantly, which was good-the agreeing part. But the problem was that I didn't know if Dean _was_ going to get back on his feet from this. I mean, there was nothing Sam or I could do to make this better. Dean was going to have to deal with it one his own. I just hoped he didn't _deal_ with it. If you get my pun there.**

**------------- -**

**I didn't sleep very well that night. Well, for one, Dean wasn't beside me. He hadn't wanted me to accidentally hit my leg against him while I was asleep. That's what he'd said, anyway. But I could tell he was just trying to push me away, he was trying to close himself off to me. I would allow it for now.**

**And the second reason was…I had nightmares of hellfire and brimstone. It was so real, like I was there, but I knew I was dreaming. And I still couldn't wake up, even though every part of me wanted to.**

_**I could smell the smoke and the sulfur, and I could almost feel the heat from the fire licking at my skin. And it was weird, because my dream Hell wasn't what I'd imagined Hell would be like. I'd always thought it would be fiery-orange and it would be dark other than that. But it actually wasn't that dark at all. There was a swarming mess of colors-black, red, white, yellow. I didn't know where the white came from; I had never associated the color white with Hell.**_

_**There were chains and hooks-meat hooks-but they weren't connected to anything; they were just floating of their own accord. And some were moving. That scared me more than them floating on their own, because now they were moving on their own.**_

_**The strange thing was that there weren't really any people around. Just one person, actually. It was John, and he was screaming. Not for help, but because he was in pain. He wasn't begging for it to stop, he was just…screaming. He was on the hooks-I guess that was to keep him from trying to move. One was in his shoulder, one was in his side, and he had one in each leg. And I couldn't do anything.**_

_**And then his face and body changed into Dean. And I knew subconsciously that it was because of what we'd found out that I was dreaming of this. Because of what we'd found out, and because of the deal Dean had been offered.**_

_**Dean's screams took the place of John's, and I couldn't do anything about that either. I felt helpless and tied down even though Dean was the one with the hooks running through him.**_

**Finally, I closed my eyes and turned away from the dream, and then my eyes opened to the real world. I was in the motel room, it was still night, and Dean was in the other bed; he was asleep.**

**I wanted to touch him and assure myself that he was here. I could see him, but I couldn't _feel_ him. I wanted to take comfort from him, but other than the fact that he'd taken care of my leg, he'd acted different after we'd left Evan's. There was a wall between us now.**

**I knew he wouldn't talk anymore about what had happened, what we'd found out, but he would never stop thinking about it. Not that I blamed him.**

**I mean, John was in Hell because he'd saved Dean, and Dean felt that it was his fault. _I_ didn't. John had been an adult and he'd agreed to whatever the yellow-eyed demon had dealt him. John had been desperate just like Evan Hudson had been.**

**And I didn't agree with selling your soul…for anything or anyone, but I understood why John had done it, and I was glad Dean was alive even if _he_ wasn't.**

**------------- -**

**I didn't go back to sleep that night. Mostly because of the dream. But around an hour after I'd woken up, my calf started itching and it kind of got annoying. And I couldn't scratch it because that would just irritate it more.**

**Dean and Sam were still asleep, so I tried getting up on my own. I was gonna go to the bathroom and check my leg and try to get it to stop itching. I mean, I guess itching was better than _hurting_, but still…it was aggravating.**

**Standing up was no problem. I could just put all the pressure on my right leg. But walking was another story altogether. The first step I took with my left foot sent a sharp, burning pain throughout my entire calf, and I pretty much fell right back on the bed.**

**I groaned more out of frustration than anything else, and then let out a sigh. I'd just have to wait for one of the guys to wake up. But, hey, at least I wasn't itching anymore. And it didn't take long for Dean to wake up anyway. I guess I'd made too much noise or something.**

"**What're you doin'?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.**

"**Um…I was gonna go to the bathroom," I said sheepishly, knowing his was probably thinking I should've just asked him to help me. "My leg was itching, but when I tried to walk on it…it didn't go so well."**

"**You could've just woken us up," he said, but he wasn't mad. He just sounded tired. Emotionally. It was like he didn't have the ability to get mad anymore.**

**He sat up, and he helped me up, and then we went to the bathroom together. And talk about déjà vu. He had me sitting on the counter and everything. And then I realized I never had changed my clothes. My jeans were still covered in blood. Not to mention they were cut, so I'd have to get a new pair soon.**

**Since I was sitting on the counter, I was pretty much eye-level with him, but he seemed to be looking almost everywhere else but at me.**

**And it seemed like our connection was breaking. When Dean let it, his heart strings sorta connected to mine. And I wasn't trying to be corny or anything like that. We really were connected, when Dean would _let_ himself connect. Me and him and Sam were all connected. But Dean and I, we _knew_ each other almost perfectly. And if Dean would let me I could help him get back on track. _If_ he'd let me. I mean, I couldn't fix everything, or course, but I could _help_.**

"**Dean," I whispered. He refused to look at me. I brought my hand up to cup his cheek and turned his head slowly so he'd be looking at me. But he averted his eyes anyway. "Please, just look at me."**

**He did, but the connection wasn't there. The strings I'd been talking about were pulled so tight, I feared they might break.**

**I caressed the place where my hand was and then moved it down to slide it around to the back of his head. I played with the hair there for a few seconds before pulling him forward. He leaned towards me almost hesitantly but then he just…stopped. **

**He brought his hand up to remove mine from him, and he squeezed gently before letting go. "I can't," he said firmly. I felt hurt flash across my face; hurt and confusion. "I'm sorry," he was whispering now.**

**I didn't say anything because I didn't know what exactly he couldn't do, and I didn't know what he was apologizing for. For all I knew, he could have been saying he couldn't do _us_ anymore and he was apologizing for _that_.**

**But he didn't clarify what he was talking about, and I didn't ask. I was scared to, because maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to know what he was talking about.**

* * *

Okay, I don't know if a hellhound would actually change course like that, but for the sake of my story, it did. LOL. And I was thinking if she's a source of goodness like I've got her...then Hell would love to sink its teeth into her. Or claws as it were. Anyway, let me know what you think.


	17. The Heat of Desire

**Okay, so, I added another one of my own ideas here. I've had this one on my mind for a while, and I just had to write it, so that it would leave. LOL.**

**Oh, and I'm going to put a warning on this one, just because I'm paranoid. I don't actually think it needs a warning, though. It's for semi-sexual situations. (Dry-humping, I guess you could call it?)**

**The Heat of Desire**_**  
**_**Part One**

**So…my leg was healed now. It had only taken two days, but my mind didn't really focus on the fact that I'd been hurt. My mind was completely focused on Dean. He'd never actually told me why he was sorry or what he was sorry for. I didn't ask, either, for the same reason I hadn't asked then; I wasn't sure I wanted to know. He'd just fixed the bandages on my leg, and he'd helped me back to bed, and he'd left. Left the room, left. When he'd come back, he didn't mention it.**

**It had been two weeks since we'd found out about John's deal with the yellow-eyed demon to save Dean. And Dean was just…different. I mean, he wasn't so changed that he was mean, but he seemed so tired. Tired of hunting, tired of living this life, one job right after another. But most of all, he was tired of losing the people that he loved.**

**What made me angry, though, was that Dean had been making some serious progress. He'd at least gotten his life a little bit straightened out. But now…Dean seemed distant, both emotionally and physically. And I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I _could_ say or do, not to make him feel better.**

**I mean, John was in Hell because he'd sold his soul to save Dean. I think I hated John a little bit for that. He had to have known we would figure it out.**

**I remembered telling Dean that I was sorry that John was dead, but I would never be sorry that Dean was alive. And that still held true. I was sorry for the circumstances that surrounded it, but I was glad Dean was alive. Given the choice, I would choose Dean over John every time, of that I was certain. But, God, didn't that make me a terrible person? Putting one individual above everyone else. I just hoped I'd never have to choose between Sam and Dean, because I already knew who I'd pick. And Dean would hate me for it, and our relationship would be over. But if he was still alive, it would be worth it, wouldn't it? Even if I couldn't be with him anymore.**

**Anyway, we hadn't had a job for a while because Dean didn't seem too enthusiastic about finding one. I didn't blame him. But Sam seemed to be getting a little restless, not being able to hunt.**

**At first, Sam had gone along with it because he knew that Dean needed a break. I'd told him as much. But Dean didn't seem like he wanted to start up again. It was like he'd wanted to quit.**

**And it was almost like he'd already quit our relationship. I mean, it was like we were sort of at a standstill. We'd come a long way since we'd gotten together, but now…We'd barely even touched, let alone kissed, since he'd found out about John's deal. Ever since the kiss that just wasn't meant to be…he'd been distant.**

**I didn't know if it was because he thought he loved me too much, or maybe he thought I loved _him_ too much and he didn't deserve to be loved like that, but he refused to let me in now. And it hurt, a lot. The only thing that was the same in our relationship was that he was still protective of me.**

**I hated myself for thinking it, but I was sorta waiting for him to give me the 'you're better off without me' speech. For which I would probably smack him silly, because, in case he hadn't noticed before…I was still alive _because _of him.**

**But the thing of it was…Dean had no self-worth. He thought so little of himself. I sort of wished he could see himself through my eyes, wished he could see himself the way I saw him. I wished he could see the brave, unselfish man I'd fallen for. Maybe then he might think he deserved me. He'd think he deserved to be loved, period. No matter who it was from.**

**I mean, that was part of his problem…not believing someone could love him as much as I did. I mean, yes, he'd accepted it before we'd found out about John's deal, but now he was sort of pushing it away. Pushing me away. And I hated it.**

**Anyway, all these thoughts were racing through my head as I was laying in one of the beds in one of the countless motel rooms we'd been staying in. Dean was beside me, but we weren't touching. Of course we weren't. There seemed to be a wall between us now; a wall that I very much wanted to break down. I just didn't know how.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning the three of us had woken up and Sam had gone to get food, leaving Dean and me alone in the room. Sam had known we were having problems - he'd been the one I'd talked to about it - and he wanted us to work them out. But we couldn't _do_ that if Dean wouldn't talk to me. And it's not like I could _make_ him talk if he didn't want to. Dean could be extremely stubborn when he wanted to be.**

**But, yeah, anyway, I was still there in the bed and Dean was sitting at the table. I didn't know what he was doing but he was sitting there anyway. He wasn't reading or using the laptop or anything…He was just staring off into space. Brooding, maybe.**

**I sat up and then sighed. The wall was still there and I didn't know how to make it fall down. I stood up and went towards my bag, digging out some clothes. "I'm gonna take a shower." Dean didn't answer or nod or anything. He didn't even acknowledge my presence. "You could at least _pretend_ to take an interest," I muttered, almost under my breath. I mean, I knew me taking a shower wasn't a matter of national importance or anything, but…still. I went to the bathroom door, but stopped at the sound of Dean's voice.**

"**What do you want from me, huh?" Dean asked, standing up from his seat, coming towards me.**

"**Something," I said. "Hell, I'd be happy with anything, at this point." I stepped closer to him. "I mean, yell or something." He looked at the floor. "Please?" I was begging. "I mean, we barely talk anymore. You used to tell me almost everything."**

**He looked at me now. "What am I supposed to say, Alyson? My dad is in Hell because of me. Who knows what he's going through because of me."**

**I bit the inside of my lip, looking down at the floor. What was _I_ supposed to say? I went with the truth. Even though I thought he might not want to hear it.**

"**Dean…I get that. I mean, no, I don't know exactly what you're going through because…I haven't been through it. But…that wasn't what I was talking about." Dean continued looking at me, but he didn't say anything. "I don't expect you to talk about your dad if you don't want to. I mean, like you said…what can you say?" I paused, stepping even closer to where he was. "But Dean, no one blames you _but_ you. You didn't ask your dad to do that. He did it of his own free will."**

**I didn't tell him what I really thought. That John had been selfish and weak. Selfish because he had to have known Dean would find out, yet he did it anyway, regardless of how Dean would feel. Weak because he'd laid that 'save Sam or kill him' speech on Dean. John wouldn't have had to do it because he was going to be dead, so he'd told Dean about it. That just added to the list of reasons why I was mad at a dead man. A dead man that was suffering eternal torment, no less.**

"**But what I was talking about was us. You act like you don't want to be with me anymore." I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst. "_Is_ that what you want? To not be with me anymore?"**

"**No," he said firmly, making me let out a sigh of relief.**

"**Well, good." I reached out to grab his arm, willing him not to move. And he didn't. "But…if we're still together, please start acting like it."**

**He nodded and I let go of his arm, my clothes still in my other arm, and turned to go back to the bathroom.**

**But he stopped me. Before I knew it, my clothes were on the floor - the ones I was holding in my arms, not the ones I was wearing.**

**He was slowly backing me up to lean against the wall, and he was drawing comfort and warmth from my mouth.**

**And honestly, I don't know what got into me, but I was suddenly hoisting myself up to wrap my legs around him. I was totally wrapped up in him. And talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Well, something was definitely hard, all right. But it was less of a place and more of a body part.**

**His hands moved to grasp my butt, probably making sure I was secure, and pulled me closer to him. Which I hadn't known was possible until he'd done it.**

**I had to move away from the kiss, though, because I needed breath. Apparently he didn't, because he moved from my lips to my neck, his facial hair scratching pleasantly on the way. And his tongue was like a flame that was all-consuming. Then I felt him nipping and sucking at my pulse-point and I vaguely wondered whether he'd be able to leave a hickey or if it would heal instantly like _almost_ everything else did.**

**But then he pulled me even closer, our crotches brushing lightly against each other, and all thoughts pretty much evaded my mind. Well, no, they were still there…I just couldn't comprehend any of them. The only one I could understand was his name.**

**One of his hands left my hips and traveled slowly up into my shirt. It was a barely-there touch, but that was okay, because my skin was feeling overly sensitive anyway. And overheated…but in a good way.**

**I arched my hips against him, trying to get that friction back, and I felt a small jolt of pleasure shoot through me. I said his name out loud. And I hadn't meant to, but it had escaped as a sigh.**

**I did it again and again, our hips sliding together, bucking against each other, each time taking me higher. It took me a couple of times to realize that I wasn't the only one making noises. It seemed that Dean was enjoying this as much as I was.**

**There was a warmth building inside me and part of me wanted to let go and another part of me wanted this to never end. And in my head, I was repeating Dean's name over and over, one time for every thrust. But then I noticed that it wasn't in my head, I was saying it out loud.**

**The fire inside was getting harder and harder to control, but I tried anyway.**

**Suddenly, I heard the door click open. "Hey, I think I found-" Oh, God, it was Sam. He'd walked in on us like this. "-A job."**

**I froze, my legs still around Dean's waist, and felt a different sort of heat go through me now. It had nothing to do with arousal now. Now, I was embarrassed.**

**Dean wasn't moving either, but he looked like he was restraining himself. He hadn't _wanted _to stop.**

**I slowly disentangled myself from Dean, although I didn't want to let go at all, and my feet landed on the floor. I found that I was shaky and I felt like I had all this pent up energy and tension, and I didn't know how to release it.**

**Now I really needed a shower; a cold one.**

**I glanced in Sam's direction. Whether it was from amusement or from embarrassment I wasn't sure, but he was looking at the floor. I then looked up at Dean, whose green eyes were way darker than they normally were. I'd heard somewhere before that lust can make your eyes turn darker, but I'd never seen any evidence until now. Well, I mean, of course I hadn't seen any evidence, I'd never done anything like this before.**

**And _Sam had walked in on it_. Poor dude was probably scarred for life. Even though we hadn't really been doing anything. Not naked anyway. Although, nakedness might have come if Sam hadn't walked in when he had.**

**I was still looking at Dean. He was breathing even harder than I was. I dropped my gaze to the floor where my clothes were and bent down to pick them up. My hands were shaky and I had to clutch the fabric tightly just so I wouldn't drop them.**

**I wondered what I should do now. Whether I should try and get Sam to talk about the job, or just go in the bathroom and take a shower. But then again, Dean might need the bathroom more than me right now. Because things seemed awfully crowded in his pants right now. Painfully so.**

**Dean took a deep breath and then started talking. "So," he cleared his throat because his voice sounded husky. "You were saying something about a job?"**

**I breathed a sigh of relief because Dean had changed the subject. Or had raised a subject, more like.**

**Sam raised his head now, looking relieved also. "Yeah, um," he cleared his throat also, "Birmingham, Alabama. Three people have died of a mysterious fever. Doctors don't know what caused it. The people weren't sick, their temperatures just shot up, and the fevers got so bad they died."**

**I noticed for the first time that Sam was holding a newspaper in one hand, our food in the other. Doughnuts. "Um…is that all you know?" My voice sounded meek and that made me blush again, but Sam didn't comment on it. Thank God. But of course Sam didn't say anything about it because Sam wasn't like that. Not with me, anyway, but he might tease Dean about it later.**

"**I know that all three victims were girls, and that one of them was named Abigail Harris."**

"**And they died of a fever?" Dean asked skeptically. "That doesn't sound like our kind of thing."**

"**No, but know one knows what caused it, so I figured we could check it out, just in case."**

"**Fine," Dean said reluctantly.**

"**Is that it?" I asked. "I was gonna go take a shower."**

**Sam nodded, so that was that and I went to the bathroom.**

**------------- -**

**Dean still didn't seem like he wanted to have anything to do with this job, but at least he was talking now, and speeding down the road blasting classic rock. ACDC, actually.**

**We'd left right after I'd taken a shower, and my hair was still a little damp and it was wavier than usual because it was wet. We were on our way to Birmingham and it was only a few hours away.**

**We'd found out a little bit more before we'd left. They'd researched a little while I'd been in the shower. All three of the girls had been under twenty-one and they were all unmarried. We could tell that by the obituaries. Oh, and the youngest one was eighteen. But that's all we found out.**

**So, to sum it up, three girls were dead from their temperatures getting out of control, and we didn't know why or what had done it. Isn't that a comfort? Not knowing what were going after.**

**Birmingham wasn't too far away, about three hours, at most, and we were gonna try to see the families of the deceased, to see if they knew anything. But if we went by what the newspaper said, then no one knew anything.**

**------------- -**

**Abigail Harris, the first victim had died almost two weeks ago, and we'd gotten her medical records because we found out that she'd died in the hospital.**

**She'd lasted about two days and then she'd died. She'd been admitted with a fever of 101, and nothing the doctors did would break it; it just kept getting higher, more out of control.**

**So, anyway, Dean had gone to get the autopsy reports of the three victims. We'd found out that the other two girl's names had been Chelsea and Julia. And Sam and I had gone to the Harris' to see what we could find.**

**We were now in the living room of their home and we were pretending to be people from the hospital, trying to find out everything we could so we could prevent it from happening again.**

"**Now, Mrs. Harris," Sam started, "I know you went through this at the hospital, but was your daughter sick before she was admitted into the hospital?"**

**Mrs. Harris, a middle-aged white woman, looked like she was just about to break down. "No. I mean, she'd had a fever for a few days, but she wasn't actually sick."**

**Mr. Harris, who was sitting beside her, grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Her fever wouldn't break, so we took her to the hospital. We thought maybe she had an infection or something." He paused, taking in an unsteady breath. "But the doctors couldn't do anything for her, couldn't find anything wrong."**

"**And the other two girls - Chelsea Williams and Julia Carns -did Abigail know them?" I asked. I was only asking because maybe they'd been exposed to a toxin or something if they'd been in the same place at the same time recently. Maybe it wasn't anything supernatural.**

"**They were friends, they were close."**

"**Were they around each other a lot before Abigail died?" Sam asked.**

"**They all go to the same college, they saw each other almost everyday."**

**I bit my lip and thought about it. Well, if they went to the same college and if they _had_ had some weirdo disease or infection that the doctors hadn't known about, then only God knew how many people had been infected with it.**

"**Did she go anywhere new in the days before her death?" Sam asked.**

**Mrs. Harris' lips trembled. "I don't know, I don't think so. I mean, she went to a party with Chelsea and Julia. It was sort of a group thing. They went with their boyfriends."**

"**Abigail had a boyfriend?" I asked.**

"**Chelsea's brother," Mr. Harris answered, nodding. "God, he lost his girlfriend, his sister, and one of his friends." Mr. Harris looked like that thought had only just popped into his mind. I didn't blame him. I mean, his daughter had died recently.**

"**Do you know where that party was held?" Sam asked politely. "They might have inhaled a toxin from there. That might have caused it."**

"**It was a party held by one of the houses at the college."**

"**And what was Chelsea's brother's name?" I put in.**

"**David."**

**Chelsea Williams had been his sister. Abigail Harris had been his girlfriend. And Julia Carns had been a friend of his. Maybe this was supernatural, and it was all connected to him somehow.**

"**And does he live at home or at the school?" Sam asked. "Maybe we should talk to him. See if he can provide us with some other information."**

"**He already talked to the doctor," Mrs. Harris said. "But if you think it'll help…he lives at home."**

**We asked only a few more questions and then we excused ourselves, telling the two parents that we'd call if we had any further questions.**

"**So, what do you think?" I asked as we got to the sidewalk outside. "That whatever killed these girls it was connected to David?"**

"**Maybe, maybe not," Sam said. "They were all friends, it could be connected to any one of them."**

**I nodded. "So, should we go to see David now or should we wait until we read the autopsy reports?"**

"**Wait, maybe? If we see the autopsy reports we might be able to tell if this is our kind of thing or not."**

**------------- -**

**Turns out the autopsy files weren't all that helpful. Not what Dean had read from it, anyway, but he hadn't gone through all of them. He'd just read the cause of death for the three girls. Which we already knew. Fever…we just didn't know what caused that.**

**And the only reason they'd even done an autopsy was to find out what had caused the fever in the first place. But the doctors hadn't been successful.**

**So we were in a motel room, each of us going through an autopsy report. I had Julia's, Dean had Abigail's, and Sam had Chelsea's.**

**We hadn't found anything to suggest something supernatural except that we hadn't found anything. But it could've been just a freaky unexplainable medical thing.**

**Sam and Dean didn't find anything weird and I didn't either. Find anything weird, that is. But I did find _something_. A too-much-information type thing.**

"**Ew," I said. Julia had had vaginal tearing and bruising that had been fading.**

"**What?" Dean asked, looking up from his file.**

**I handed him the report I was reading and showed him what I was talking about. "I think she had sex before she died."**

"**Why?" Sam asked, confused.**

"**Oh, trust me, she did," Dean said, and handed him the file. "Really."**

**Sam blinked at it a few times. "Ew," he said also.**

"**Yeah," I agreed. "Like I said." I paused and thought about it, grossing myself out. "That means that…whoever had sex with her had to have been pretty rough with her…right? Like, painfully rough."**

"**Yeah," Dean said, putting the file down on the bed. "Her boyfriend, probably. We should probably find out who exactly he is."**

"**So we go visit David Williams," Sam said. "Chelsea's brother…Abigail's boyfriend."**

"**Yeah, okay," Dean replied.**

**------------- -**

**David Williams lived in his parents house. When we got there, he was alone. We told him the same story that Sam and I had used with Abigail's parents: That we were representatives from the hospital trying to find out as much as we could from the families of the girls who had died to prevent anyone else from dying.**

**The first thing I noticed, as he invited us in, was that the living room was filled with crosses and angel figurines. But the theme wasn't overdone; it was just enough to show that these people had faith. And a Bible was on the coffee table. It had a bookmark in it somewhere in the middle.**

"**So, David," Dean cleared his throat, "where're your parents?"**

"**Oh, um, at church." It was Wednesday; some churches had a service on Wednesday. David, though, looked like he didn't agree with the gesture. He looked distraught, which was understandable. He'd lost three people that were close to him, and if he'd ever had faith, it was probably shaky at the moment. It was human nature to rebel against the force that you blamed for something going wrong.**

"**I'm really sorry to bother you with this," I said sincerely. "But if you have any insight into what happened, we'd like to know."**

**He shook his head. "No. I mean, me and Abigail were together that night. I picked her up at her parents house. We met up with Chelsea and Kevin at-at the party." He looked at the floor. "Chelsea was with him, already there."**

"**What about Julia and her boyfriend?" Sam asked, making David tense up.**

"**Julia and Stephan weren't getting along," David said. "They'd been fighting for a while. He didn't even go to her funeral."**

"**You don't like Stephan?" I asked hesitantly.**

"**We used to get along great," David said. "But he changed. I wouldn't put it past him to have poisoned them or something."**

"**What's his last name?" Dean asked. I could tell he wanted to talk to the guy.**

"**Tanner. He lives in a dorm at the school."**

"**David." He looked at me. "We talked to Abigail's parents. They said you went through everything with the doctor?"**

"**Yeah, I did." He looked down at the floor again, like he was guilty or something.**

"**Did you leave anything out?" I gave him an opening to tell the truth if he'd been lying.**

"**My parents would freak out if they found out the truth." He looked at me again, pleading. "They can never know."**

**I nodded. "What you did and whether your parents find out isn't our concern. We just wanna stop this from happening again."**

"**There _was_ a party that night at the school, but we didn't go to it. Now, as you can see…my parents are religious." Again, he sounded like he was angry because of it. "After everything that's happened I don't see how they can be. But anyway, I loved Abby, they knew that."**

"**They didn't approved of your relationship?" Sam asked cautiously.**

"**No, they were close to Abby." He paused. "We'd been together for almost a year-and-a-half. We were serious…I was gonna ask her to marry me. But…my parents-they don't believe in having sex before you're married."**

"**But you'd been together for a year-and-a-half," Dean put in incredulously.**

"**Exactly," David said. "And technically we respected their wishes, but…anyway, that night we went to this old abandoned church near the edge of town. Me and Abigail, Chelsea and Kevin. We didn't do anything-it was a church, but Abigail started getting a fever the next morning."**

**I shook my head. "I don't understand…why would your parents freak out over you going to a church? Was it an evil church?" I mean, you never know. You hear about churches being cults, all the time.**

"**No." I looked expectantly at him. "But I said we _technically_ respected their wishes."**

"**But you also said you didn't do anything," Sam put in.**

"**And we didn't…_do_ anything," he clarified. They didn't have sex, but they did other things.**

"**Why would you do that in a church?" I asked, but then I changed my question. "Why did you do that while your sister was there? I mean, what, did you have an incestual orgy?"**

**David shook his head. "No, my sister didn't believe in pre-marital sex either. She was a year older than me." He looked at the ground again. "Look, we didn't stay long. Chelsea got freaked out and we left."**

"**Why? What freaked her out?" Dean asked.**

"**Look, we weren't in the same part of the church. She said she saw something. A few candles were lit, and they went out by themselves."**

**We excused ourselves and went to get in the car. "So what now?" I asked, settling in the backseat. "Do we go see this Stephan kid or do we go to the church?"**

"**It's almost dark," Dean said. "Best bet is the church."**

**Sam and I nodded our agreement because that made sense.**

**When we got to the church, I got into an argument with Dean, which he won. He wanted me to stay in the car, but I didn't want to. But, like I said, he won. He reminded me about the last two girls that had gone into the church, so I stayed. Sam stayed with me.**

"**So, if there is something connected to this church…how did Julia die? I mean, she wasn't here, and she died last. And the other two were already dead when she died."**

"**Yeah, but she could've come here without anyone knowing about it."**

"**Yeah, I guess," I said, but I wasn't sure. "I still think we should try and contact Stephan tomorrow. Find out why he and Julia weren't getting along. Or him and David, for that matter."**

"**Yeah, we should," Sam agreed.**

"**Sam…you saw the report," I started quietly. "What if he hurt her? What if…what if he raped her?"**

**Sam looked like he didn't know what to say so he didn't say anything. I mean, humans weren't our jurisdiction. We couldn't do anything if that was the case, and he had hurt her.**

**Dean came back with his cell phone in his hand, and when he got in the car he showed us a picture that he'd taken. "Someone was doin' magic in there."**

"**Black magic?" I asked, and he nodded. "In a church? Could that have made this happen? Desecrating holy ground."**

"**I don't know," Dean answered. "I guess it depends on what kind of spell it was."**

**Hm. People doing magic and performing acts of a sexual nature inside a church. Wow. What was wrong with the world. I wondered whether or not it had been the girls who'd died who'd done it. The magic? If it had been, maybe it was just God's way of punishing them. You know, like, showing them that they'd been wrong.**

**Whatever, we'd find out later.**

* * *

Okay, please let me know what you think. Especially about the whole kissing up against the wall thing. 'Cause I'm really kinda self-councious about the whole physical intimacy writing thing. And if you guys have any pointers on that there, like how to write a good love scene, then I'd appreciate it if you could tell me about them. Thanks. Well, I mean, unless you think I can do it on my own, considering how I had them going at it in this one. And now I'm rambling...so, yeah. Please review.


	18. The Heat of Desire Pt Two

**The Heat of Desire  
Part Two**

**That night at the motel we went to bed pretty early, but I woke up twice.**

**The first time it was because I felt a weird presence in the room. It wasn't like anything I'd felt before. It didn't give me the chills like a demon would. But a demon couldn't get in anyway because of the salt lines we'd put up. But it didn't make me feel empty like the death omen, Claire, had either.**

**It made me feel like I was being smothered, and I couldn't move. That's when I started panicking. I couldn't move, I couldn't talk or scream out to Dean, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was like something was sitting on my chest and pressing me down into the mattress.**

**I'd heard of sleep paralysis where if you wake up suddenly, sometimes your muscles might still be less than fully functional, so they won't work properly, but this was ridiculous. But then my mind started working and I realized that, no, it wasn't something natural, because I could feel something here with us. But I couldn't see anything.**

**Tears of panic and frustration fell from my eyes and I tried to move again. I ended up being able to kick my leg out and then, just like that, the spell vanished. And I sprung up and started gasping for air; my tears were still falling.**

**Suddenly the light turned on and Dean was squinting in my direction. "What is it?"**

"**I don't-I don't know." I swallowed before continuing. "I felt like I couldn't breathe…and I couldn't move or talk. I tried calling out to you, screaming. But I couldn't. S-something was here."**

**Sam sat up, too, now. "Are you okay?"**

**I took a deep but shaky breath. "I think I will be." They were both looking at me with concern. "I will be."**

**Sam got up to check the salt lines and Dean sat up beside me. I moved to lay my head on his arm and then he was pulling me onto his lap and rubbing soothing circles on my back.**

**Now that my panic was fading I got tired again, but I didn't feel like moving. Dean could lay me back down later, but at the moment, I was content with falling back to sleep in his arms.**

**The second time I woke up was due to a more pleasant reason. I'd been having a dream. A fairly good one where Dean's hands were doing things to me that they'd never done to me before. They were traveling places they'd never gone before.**

**I woke up feeling aroused and slightly overheated. And the fact that when I opened my eyes Dean was staring at me didn't help at all. He had a playful smile on his face.**

"**What?" I whispered.**

"**Someone was talking in their sleep," he teased.**

**I felt my face get hot. With the type of dream I'd been having, I probably didn't want to know what I'd been saying.**

**I sat up and looked over towards Sam's bed, but he was still asleep…so he hadn't heard what I'd been saying. Whatever I'd been saying.**

"**What are we going to do today?" I asked. "Go see if we can find that Stephan guy?"**

"**Probably," he answered. "And find out the meaning of that symbol thing, what it's used for."**

**I thought about it, and, not for the first time, I wondered what would happen if we found out Stephan actually had done something to Julia Carns. Unless he confessed or we found proof, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it.**

"**We should go to the library first," I suggested. "That way if he lies we can call him on it."**

"**Hm. Good idea."**

**Sometimes I think he let me think of ideas, just so he could see what I would say, see what I was learning from him and Sam.**

**Dean looked like he was thinking about something and then he began talking to me. "What do you think was here last night?"**

**I froze for a second. I kinda had assumed that had been a nightmare; a very vivid nightmare.**

"**I don't know. I mean, the salt lines hadn't been messed up, right?"**

"**No, so…no ghost or demon." He then brought his hand up to my forehead.**

**I laughed. "What are you doing?"**

"**Making sure you don't have a fever," he answered. "And you don't." He sounded relieved. He removed his hand from my head, and he yawned.**

**That's when I noticed he had dark circles under his eyes. "You didn't sleep?"**

"**Not after that thing, whatever it was, came."**

"**Oh," I said softly. That sorta made me feel bad, because even now I was wondering whether or not it had happened or if I had just freaked myself out because I'd woken up in the dark.**

"**Hey, it's no biggie. I'll sleep later," he said nonchalantly, and I smiled slightly.**

**A few minutes later, Sam woke up, stretched, yawned, and got up for good. He wanted to take a shower and Dean told him to hurry it up, which I found ironic since Dean was known for taking marathon showers himself.**

**Anyway, now that Sam was in the shower, I decided to bring something up that I probably should've left alone. And, no, it wasn't about John. I'd told him he didn't have to talk about that, and I wasn't going to ask.**

"**Dean…what did you mean when you said you were sorry?"**

**He looked confused for a minute and then realization crossed over his features. But I could tell he didn't want to answer, so I didn't ask again.**

"**You know what? Never mind. It doesn't matter." I was partly telling the truth anyway. It _did_ matter, but I was willing to let this go. He was talking to me now, and I didn't want him to stop.**

**We sat there-we were being lazy- for another minute in complete silence, and then I heard him clear his throat awkwardly before standing up to change his clothes. I think it was more to give him something to do, than it was that he actually wanted to get dressed right now.**

**When he was done, he sat back down on the bed and I sat there with him. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again, not saying anything.**

**I didn't push; whatever he was going to say, I was going to wait until he was ready, because it was obviously important to him.**

**He swallowed, looked toward the bathroom door-probably making sure the water was still running-and then looked back at me. I waited patiently.**

**He took a deep breath. "God, I'm not good at this." He paused, and I bit my lip.**

**Inside, I wanted to laugh, because surely whatever he wanted to say couldn't be that bad. But I knew if I laughed, Dean would clam up, and I didn't want that. Dean would think I was laughing at _him_ and not the situation.**

"**I said I was sorry because I didn't kiss you. I could see that I hurt you, and I didn't want that." He bit his lip this time. He seemed to be thinking about how best to phrase whatever he was going to say. "You and Sam…are the only good things I have left." He was speaking softly and I moved closer so I could hear him better. "After what we'd found out…I didn't know whether you and me bein' together was a good thing or not. A _safe_ thing."**

**I looked down at the bed, not knowing what to say or do with that information…even though deep down inside I'd known all along. _Well, I asked for the truth_.**

"**I swear, if you make fun of me for this-"**

**My head shot up. "I would _never_ make fun of you for opening up to me," I interrupted firmly.**

**He looked at me, and must've decided I was telling the truth because he continued to talk. "You're the only untainted thing I have. And you're the one thing that's just…_mine_," he whispered the last word.**

**I smiled a little. He was…_claiming_ me. But I didn't understand what he meant about the whole untainted concept, so I asked.**

"**Ya know…innocent and pure," he answered, sounding a little embarrassed for admitting what he thought about me. "Me and Sam, hunting has changed us. It hasn't gotten its grip on you yet. I hope it never does. I hope…" he looked down at the bed sheet. "I hope you never change."**

**He loved me. He might not be able to say it out loud, but he did love me.**

"**And this, between us-" he gestured back and forth between out bodies, "-it scares the hell out of me, being this close to you. And when I didn't kiss you and I said I was sorry…it was because I was honestly considering-" he broke off.**

"**Not being with me anymore," I finished quietly.**

"**Yeah," he muttered.**

**Again, I found myself not knowing what to say.**

"**But I realize now that pushing you away was wrong, and hard. Having you right there and not being able to touch you, it was…I can't be near you and not be with you. It's just not possible."**

**I felt like crying now, and honestly, I didn't know whether it was because he'd considered breaking up with me or because he'd finally realized he needed to be with me as much as I needed to be with him. Hm…probably a combination of both.**

**------------- -**

**We'd gone to the library-which was where we were now-just like we'd said we were going to. We were at a table way in the back going through any magic book we could find, and since we didn't really know what we were looking for, it was pretty much a game of hunt-and-peck. Except we were using books instead of a keyboard.**

**We'd searched through four books by now and had come up with nada. Absolutely, a hundred percent of nothing.**

**I sighed, shutting the book I'd been looking through. I stood up from my seat and picked a few of the books up to put them back where they belonged. "I'll be right back."**

**I started walking to the non-fiction section and then found the shelf on witchcraft. There was a guy there also. He was dressed nicely, and I figured he worked here; I'd seen him behind the checkout desk when we'd walked in. But I decided to ask just to make sure.**

"**Excuse me," I said, shifting the books from one arm to the other. "Do you work here?"**

**He turned to me and I saw he'd been standing in front of a little carry-cart thing; it held books. It looked like he was putting books back. I saw that he had fair skin and blue eyes and an angular face.. And he had brown hair.**

**He smiled at me; it was friendly, not flirty. "Yeah, do you need help?"**

"**Yes, actually. Do you know where I could find a book of…symbols?" That question sounded weird in my head.**

"**What kind of symbols?"**

"**Oh, um, symbols that go with spells and stuff."**

**He looked at the books I was holding in my hands. "Witchcraft. You won't find many symbols in there. Spell books are rather vague when it comes to things like that."**

**Okay, so at least he wasn't acting like I was a freak.**

**He held out his arms to take the books away from me and he placed them on the book cart.**

"**Thanks," I replied. "So, do you know where I can find it?"**

**He grinned. "What kind of symbol is it? Do you know from which branch of magic?"**

**I was clueless. "No," I said sheepishly. "All I know is what it looks like."**

"**Can you describe it? Maybe I know what it is."**

**I didn't know how to describe it. It was a circle and it had, like, little squiggly wave-like lines in it, and it had been drawn in white chalk.**

"**You know what, if you'll follow me I can show you." He nodded and I began leading him back to my table. "So, how might you know what it is?"**

"**Oh, I'm a student at the college. I take theology."**

"**Oh." Theology covered witchcraft sometimes. Of the basic theory of it, anyway. And then it hit me; he went to the college that Stephan went to, so maybe he knew him. "Hey, do you know Stephan Tanner?" We were in the view of the guys now, but he stopped walking.**

"**I'm Stephan Tanner," he said softly. "Why?"**

**I stopped walking too. "You are? You used to go out with Julia Carns."**

"**I did," he replied simply, and maybe a little sadly.**

**Well, he seemed nice to me, so maybe he _hadn't_ hurt Julia. Or I could've just been reading him entirely wrong.**

"**Oh, well, you can _definitely_ help us." I looked towards the guys and then back at Stephan. "Come on." He didn't move. "What's wrong?"**

"**If this is about what I think it's about then we can't talk about it here." He was practically whispering. "I get off in an hour," he said. "Stick around and we'll talk." He looked warily over at the two guys. He seemed a little intimidated, which I got because even though he matched Dean in height, size was a different matter.**

"**They won't hurt you," I promised reassuringly. "We're just trying to figure out what happened."**

**He breathed out a sigh. "Okay. I'll help."**

"**We'll be waiting," I replied. He started going back to the shelf he'd just come from. "Wait, what about that symbol?"**

"**I think I already know what it is," he said, turning back to me.**

"**How?"**

"**Because if we're talking about the same thing, then I put it there." And then he walked off.**

**Okay, now I was confused because this made no sense. And I supposed it wouldn't until Stephan told us what he knew.**

**Anyway, I went back to Sam and Dean and told them what Stephan had said, and they decided we'd wait.**

**------------- -**

**The time went by very slowly, us just sitting there. We would talk about something random, but then things would get quiet again. And as we were sitting there, I realized how hyper-aware I'd become of Dean lately. I wondered if that was normal.**

**I mean, knowing your partner was one thing, but…I'd never been in a relationship before, let alone been in _love_ before, so heck if I knew if what I was feeling was normal or not.**

**But I was definitely focused on his face. I started with his hair. It was a light brown and when the sunlight hit it just right, it looked dark-blond in places.**

**I trailed down to his eyes, which were a dark green today, and they had specks of gold and brown in them. He looked tired, which duh, because he hadn't slept. And he had the most beautiful eyelashes I'd ever seen on a man.**

**He had a light splay of freckles on his upper cheeks and on the bridge of his nose that weren't really noticeable unless you knew they were there.**

**And then there were his lips. His full, begging-to-be-kissed lips. They were a natural pink, and as I'd said…they were just begging to be kissed. And his bottom lip was pleading to be nibbled on. By me.**

**His tongue darted out, wetting his lips, making them glisten slightly. Then it disappeared back into the depths of his mouth.**

**I felt my breathing hitch, and then I tried clearing my head, but he was sitting in front of me so that was a little hard to do.**

**And see what I mean? Totally hyper-aware…and hot. It was getting kinda stuffy in here. I squirmed in my seat. I needed fresh air, so I stood up.**

"**I'm gonna go outside." I moved away from the table and Dean got up too. He was gonna come with me; I'd known one of them would. He told Sam to stay there and make sure Stephan didn't leave without talking to us first.**

**But the problem was that Dean standing up brought on a wave of heat from somewhere in my mid-section.**

**Today wasn't a particularly cold day, so Dean didn't have his jacket on. Just a T-shirt and a long-sleeved button-down shirt that wasn't buttoned. The T-shirt was kinda clinging to his chest and it made me wanna touch him there.**

**And then his jeans…well, let's just say they were tight in all the right places. Or _wrong_ places depending on how you looked at it.**

**And I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew I needed to get myself together, like, right the hell now.**

**By the time we got outside, I was even worse. We went to the car and I sat in the backseat, leaving the door open to let the breeze in. It didn't help much.**

"**Are you okay?" Dean asked. "You're lookin' a little pale."**

"**Am I?" I asked breathlessly. I looked up at him. "I'm hot."**

**His eyes narrowed slightly. "Like, fever hot?"**

**I swallowed and then looked away from him. Not a fever…I didn't think. "No."**

"**Well, then, what are you-" he broke off, getting it. "Oh."**

"**Dean," I was whispering now. "It just came on all of a sudden. And now I'm really, really _hot_."**

**Suddenly, his hand was on my face, tilting it so he could look at me. He looked worried. "You're not hot, you're burning up."**

**I leaned into his hand, desperately craving his touch "Dean," I whispered his name again. I watched as Dean pulled out his cell phone, and then as he dialed a number.**

"**Sam?" Oh, that's who he'd been calling. "Hey, we have a problem. Alyson's been infected." He paused. "Oh, I'm really sure. Look, just…stay here, okay? Bring Stephan back to the motel when he gets off work. We'll talk there." And then he hung up.**

**And I pounced, like, literally pounced. I grabbed onto his head, not hard, and brought his lips to mine. I clambered onto him, straddling his legs, kissing him desperately, and somewhat aggressively.**

**I sighed contentedly, but then he pulled his mouth away from mine and swiftly pushed me off of his lap, holding me at arms length.**

"**No," he said firmly. And I felt like crying like a baby who'd just had their bottle taken away.**

"**Dean, please," I begged. "I _need_-"**

"**No," he said again, more gently this time. "We don't know what's wrong with you. But this isn't you. Something is making you do this. Making you act like this."**

**I tensed in his arms. What if something _was_ making me do this? What if I _was_ infected? But what the hell could make you feel like this, make you feel so…well-I blushed just thinking it-horny? Extremely 100 percent horny.**

"**Hey, we're gonna cool you down, okay? Just wait 'til we get to the motel."**

**He got out of the backseat and closed the door. I needed to stay in the backseat because, honestly, I didn't think me being within reaching distance of Dean was in my best interest. Or Dean's…or the car's.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the motel the first thing that Dean made me do was take a cool shower. That helped only a little. But then when I saw Dean, the heat came rushing back. He was the trigger, apparently, which was ironic in a really bad way. He was the only person I wanted and I couldn't have him. Because this, whatever _this_ was, wasn't allowing that to happen. I guess the joke was on me this time.**

"**Guess I should get used to taking cold showers, huh?" I half-joked.**

**He looked at me. I was on the bed; he was on the other side of the room. I guess he was trying to 'lead me not into temptation' or something.**

"**We're gonna fix this," was all he said.**

"**We don't know what _this_ is," I said, frustrated.**

"**No, but that Stephan guy might, and he said he'd help." Dean was grasping at straws here. "How're you feelin' now, anyway?"**

**I thought about it. I was warm, not totally hot now. But I felt constricted and smothered in my jeans, or my thighs did, anyway. And they were rubbing me the wrong way. Literally. My skin felt so sensitive that every time I moved and the material slid with me, I could feel it almost to the point of pain. So that's what I told him.**

**And then he was going through his bag, and he pulled out one of his shirts. He threw it beside me, on the bed. Okay, so he was avoiding me like the plague.**

"**I won't bite, ya know." Although, I might want to. "I _can_ control myself. I think." I looked down at his shirt and sighed. "I can't wear only this. That guy's coming."**

"**You'll feel better."**

**That much was probably true since the jeans were irritating me now. So I changed in the bathroom, throwing my jeans and shirt on the floor. I left my bra and panties on. They were black lace, and the panties were the ones that looked like tiny shorts. Dean's shirt was, well, huge on me; it came down to the middle of my thighs. But it felt good because it was freeing and open; not tight.**

**My shoes and socks had been kicked off just for good measure.**

**Anyway, I went back into the main room where Dean had just turned the covers on the bed down. I assumed he wanted me to lie down in it, so I did. He did a good job of not looking at my bare legs that led up to his shirt.**

"**You should lay down with me," I suggested. "You didn't sleep much."**

**I found myself telling the truth. It seemed my concern for him was stronger than the extreme _want_ I was feeling for him. That was good.**

"**I don't think that's a good idea," he declared.**

**I sighed as I brought the sheet up and over my legs. That didn't bother me as much as the jeans had. Probably because the jeans had been right on my skin and the sheets, well, I could move under them.**

**------------- -**

**By the time Sam got to the motel with Stephan, I was hot again, but I was controlling myself because I was trying to prove that I could.**

**Anyway, they'd bought a thermometer and my temperature was 102. Dean had been debating whether or not medicine would work, but then he remembered the other girls. One of them had died in the hospital; the doctors hadn't been able to do anything.**

"**Okay, so what's causing this?" I asked. I was hot and feeling shaky, but I wasn't useless. I refused to be. "I mean, what's wrong with me?"**

**Dean, who was on the other side of the room again, looked like he was dying to know the answer to that question.**

"**Well, I guess the correct term would be _sex magic_," Stephan said. He handed two books from a bag he'd brought with him, to Sam. "I brought these so that I could prove I was telling the truth."**

**I shook my head. "I don't understand about the magic," I admitted.**

"**Have you talked to Kevin yet? The one that was going out with Chelsea?" Sam and I shook our heads. "He did it."**

"**The symbol thing?" Dean asked. "You said you did that."**

"**I did," he replied. "That was supposed to have counteracted Kevin's thing, but, obviously it didn't." He looked at me. "Kevin used this powder type stuff and the girls drank it. I don't know if they knew about it or not."**

"**And it made them wanna have sex," Sam said, catching on.**

"**Right," Stephan said. "But they didn't. They would've survived longer if they had. I think. But the stuff he gave them, it wouldn't have made them do anything they didn't want to already…in theory, anyway."**

**Dean looked at me now, worried. Then he looked back at Stephan. "So, this powder stuff, it's like a magical aphrodisiac?"**

"**Yeah. That doesn't wear off until the person gets what they want."**

**I raised my hand. "How'd I get it?"**

"**Some spells," Stephan began to explain, "leave behind some sort of mystical residue. This one, though, was actually strong enough to create something."**

"**How?" Dean asked.**

"**Energy," I said. "Sexual energy."**

"**How did you know that?" Stephan asked.**

"**Oh, because I'm feeling enough energy right now to light up this whole town," I admitted sheepishly.**

**Stephan looked embarrassed. "Oh. Anyway, you went to the church and this thing latched onto you."**

"**This thing being?" Dean was wanting something to kill now. And, hey, if it made me feel better, I was with him. Definitely.**

"**A succubus," Stephan said simply.**

"**A spell created this…succubus?" I asked. I looked at Sam and then at Dean. "That's a sex demon, right?"**

"**Just a creature," Stephan put in.**

**Oh, great. That was probably what I'd felt the night before.**

"**How do we kill it?" Dean asked, determination covering his voice.**

**But Stephan stomped that dream. "You can't. Only she can."**

**All three guys looked at me. I shrugged. "What do I have to do?"**

**Stephan hesitated before answering. "I don't know how to kill it. I just know that you're the one it's connected to, so only you can do it."**

**Nice revelation there. We didn't know how to kill this thing, but I had to find out quick because I was the only one who could do it. _Great_.**

**------------- -**

**Stephan had given us his phone number and said he would help in any way he could, and he'd help look for a way to kill this thing.**

**Sam had suggested Dean and I get a separate room _just in case_. Those had been his exact words. I wondered what 'just in case' meant. Just in case I decided to jump Dean's bones, or just in case my temperature shot up and Dean wouldn't have a choice but to, uh, relieve the tension.**

**Dean had reluctantly agreed, and that's where we were now. Every now and then Dean would make me take my temperature again-it was pretty stable for now-or suggest that I drink some water or something, but then I'd remind him that this wasn't a normal fever, and I wasn't thirsty anyway.**

**Then he'd get silent again, and I kinda wondered what he was thinking about, but I didn't ask.**

"**Dean, what happens if-" I broke off, knowing he'd finish the thought in his own head. _What if the fever gets out of control?_**

"**It won't. You're gonna be fine. I mean, Sam's researching and Stephan is researching. You'll kill the thing and then you'll be you again."**

**I looked at him from the bed-our positions were pretty much the same as they had been in the other room. He was sitting on the other side.**

"**This _is_ me. Just whatever happened…it makes me feel things tenfold." I got up and went towards him. "I'm still me, and this spell or whatever it is…it hasn't changed how I feel about you."**

**He wasn't backing away from me, but he wasn't moving towards me, either, so I continued walking. When I got up close to him I put both my hands on his chest. Oh, and that was stupid of me because, turns out direct contact was a no-no.**

**I could practically feel my temperature rising now, which was overwhelming, to say the least. I wanted to surge forward and kiss him, but I didn't. If I hadn't been all hot and bothered, I would have just gently kissed him, so I tried that. **

**And it worked. He opened his mouth to me and I slipped my tongue in.**

**As we were kissing, I kept telling myself to keep going slow and gentle so Dean wouldn't stop. I brought my hands up to run them through the hair on the back of his head.**

**He slowly, almost hesitantly, brought his hands up and placed them on my hips on top of his shirt that I had on. They weren't set there firmly; it was like he didn't know whether or not we should be doing this.**

**Well, we were just gonna have to banish _those_ thoughts, weren't we? I held him firmly in place, although I knew he was stronger than me and if he thought we should stop then he'd make us.**

**My hands went to the collar of his unbuttoned shirt and slowly started to push it back off his shoulders. I moved away from him for a second to slide the shirt down his arms and off him. It fell to the floor unceremoniously. I smirked at it, but then smiled softly up at Dean. Had to make him believe this was all me.**

**It struck me then that if I had to _make_ myself be, well, the me that he loved and wanted then maybe something _was_ happening and making me different.**

**So I stilled against him-my hands were on his chest again-and tried calming myself down. I tried to think about how Dean must be thinking about this. If it was making me act different-which I now realized it was-then he would think of it as kind of like me being under the influence…and if he did anything he would probably feel he was taking advantage. And I could see where he was coming from, because even though this was me, it wasn't _me_. Not the one he was in love with.**

**This me was aggressive and didn't mind taking control, which the real me wouldn't do, wouldn't have the confidence to do. Not taking control with this anyway.**

**I felt the smile fade from my lips and I looked at Dean again, grabbing at him arms, only this time it was out of desperation, and not lust; not completely anyway.**

**I realized I felt like crying, just like I had in the car when Dean had pulled away from me.**

"**I'm sorry," I said. "You were right, and I'm sorry."**

**Dean looked as lost as I felt. Normally, he would've just wrapped his arms around me and that would've been enough. But now…that would've just made things harder for me.**

"**I don't know what to do here," I whispered brokenly. I wanted this so much, wanted _him_ so much. "I don't know if I can control this."**

**My body was going through this mantra of 'want Dean, take Dean, have Dean'. Just _want, take, have, want, take, have_ over and over again. But, somehow, I knew that was the succubus' doing, because I had never put my needs or wants before Dean's. I knew that Dean wasn't just a thing I could use to get what I wanted. But what I was feeling was completely selfish and _wrong_. I was getting to the point of not caring how I got what I wanted, I just knew I needed it. Even if I had to take it.**

**But that's what kept me from taking it, because I knew deep down that I _did_ care, and that I needed to stop now, because if I was in my right mind I would care what Dean wanted, would care that he didn't think this was right. I loved Dean and I wasn't going to ruin what we had just because some _thing_ had put me under a spell.**

**So I stepped shakily away from him, my earlier words about cold showers coming back to mind. Dean didn't ask where I was going or what I was gonna do as I stepped away from him and went to the bathroom. He probably already knew.**

**------------- -**

**As I stood there under the cool water of the shower the tears that had wanted to fall earlier escaped and collided with the water that I let cascade down my face.**

**This wasn't fair. I loved Dean; I _wanted_ Dean so much it hurt sometimes. But now that this succubus had chosen me to latch on to, I couldn't have him. Not until I figured out how to get rid of it.**

**So that meant I needed to do that extremely quick because I didn't know how long I could control myself. And I _would_ control myself. If not for my sake than for Dean's.**

**I just hoped that my will power was stronger than whatever this succu-bitch had done to me.**

* * *

Hey, people. I had meant for this to just be two parts, but this storyline kinda took on a mind of its own, so yeah it'll be more than two. Probably just three, though. Oh, and I know that a succubus is supposed to be a demon that wants to get pregnant and produce hellspawn, but there wasn't enough lore to go on, so I made up my own.


	19. The Heat of Desire Pt Three

**Hey, um, putting a warning on this one for naughty stuff. If you're okay to read that, then enjoy. LOL**

**The Heat of Desire  
Part Three**

**I was completely freaking hot. I didn't see how the other girls had lasted so long. I was thinking maybe I was going to spontaneously combust here. The last time I'd taken my temperature it had spiked to 105. How long could a human survive with a 105 temperature? I didn't know, but something told me I was gonna find out.**

**Anyway, I'd passed the lust stage, I guess, because I wasn't feeling that anymore. I was just hot - extremely hot - and sweaty, and my skin was even more sensitive than it had been earlier.**

**And I didn't even have the strength to do anything about it because I didn't even have enough strength to _move_.**

**Sam had come to us earlier telling us that basically the succubus had _possessed_ me, but he had yet to find a way to, well, exorcise me. We had yet to find out how to kill the thing, either.**

**I'd been fading in and out of consciousness for over the past hour, and every time I woke up, Dean was right beside me at first patting me down with a cool washrag.**

**The first time, Sam was there, going through a book - probably looking for an alternate way to bring my fever down. The second time, Sam was still there, but he was on the computer instead of going through a book.**

**The third time, Dean and I were alone. Dean was beside me still, but he was on the phone. He sounded upset, which I got because I was vaguely aware of the fact that I was gonna die.**

**Dean literally _snapped_ his phone shut and bit his bottom lip, catching it between his teeth before letting it go. He placed his phone on the bedside table and looked at me.**

"**You still with me?" he wondered out loud.**

"**Mm," I moaned, too tired to speak.**

**Dean looked up at the ceiling, muttering, "Damn it."**

**Dean pulled the covers off of me and picked me up. "Put your arms around my shoulders if you can understand me." I could, so I did.**

"**Okay." He was carrying me into the bathroom. He sat me on the edge of the bathtub, helping me stay upright, and started running the water, filling the tub with cool water.**

"**What're you doing?" I asked groggily.**

"**I'm gonna help you, okay? But we have to cool you down a little first because the heat gets more intense before…" he trailed off.**

**When the tub was half-way full he picked me up again and placed me in the cool water. The shirt, my bra, and panties were still on.**

**I immediately started shivering because even though the water wasn't that cold, to my body it was freezing.**

"**Dean," I protested weakly. I tried getting back out but he kept me firmly seated.**

"**Just a few minutes," he said soothingly.**

"**It's c-cold," I stuttered.**

"**I know, I'm sorry." He turned the water off and then pulled the shirt I had on up and over my head. My black lace bra was still dry, and he didn't even reach for the clasp. He just began scooping water in his hand - one hand was doing that, the other was making sure I didn't sink into the water - and pouring it onto my back, which made me shiver even more.**

"**I-I'd like very much t-to get out now," I said through my shivering.**

**Dean looked like he was going to say no for a second, but he didn't. "Okay," he said. "Hold on." He placed my hands on the side of the tub. "Can you hold yourself up?"**

**I tried and found that, surprisingly, I could, so I nodded.**

"**Don't let go." He stood up and went to get a towel from about five feet away, and then he came back. He helped me to stand, which with me still shivering was a problem.**

**I held onto him tightly, drawing warmth from his body because I wasn't all that hot anymore. I placed my hands on his shoulders as he began drying my legs off. The towel wasn't exactly rough, but it felt that way on my skin.**

**He slowly worked his way up to my thighs, stopping there for just a second before continuing up to the middle of my back. He'd completely dried me off, getting the offensive cold water off of me.**

**Then he was picking me up again - my bra and soaked panties were still on - and carrying me back to the bed.**

"**Dean," I whispered. "I don't-I don't wanna have sex." The part of my brain that was still mine knew that. No matter what I'd done before, I knew I wasn't ready for that. And even if I had been…I didn't want my first time to be because of something like this.**

"**I'm not gonna do anything that you're not ready for," he said softly, laying me on the bed before getting on beside me.**

**I stilled beside him. I didn't know what he was going to do. And, for the first time, I realized I was laying in front of him in just my bra and panties.**

**What if things got out of control? What if _I_ got out of control?**

"**Hey," he said soothingly. "You're gonna be okay." He must have seen the panic rising in my eyes. "I'm going to make you okay."**

**And with that, he started kissing me, slowly at first, then a little faster. I could feel the worry, desperation, and hesitation he was feeling by the way his mouth was working mine. I maneuvered myself so he'd be half-way on top of me.**

**_Take his shirt off_, a husky imitation of my voice resounded in my head. I didn't listen to it. I couldn't trust whether it was actually my thought or the succubus trying to control me again.**

**His mouth moved from mine, down my jaw line to my earlobe and bit at it softly. I gasped when I felt his tongue flick over it.**

**My temperature was flaring again. "Dean, I don't think this is helping."**

**He didn't answer, but I suddenly felt his fingers playing over the strap of my bra on my right shoulder. He followed it down, running his fingers along the part of my breasts that jutted out of my bra. His mouth playing with my earlobe and he looked at me again before replacing his hands with his mouth. He was kissing, biting, and licking along the line of my bra.**

"**Dean, please!" I needed him to hurry, but apparently, he didn't think he had to because I felt him smile against me. Maybe he was _trying_ to kill me.**

**The lust feelings were coming back again full-force, telling me to take control now. I told those feelings to shut up.**

**His hands were back now and his mouth made its way back to mine. I opened my mouth to him like I always did and would.**

**My back arched against his hand when I felt him palming my left breast through my bra. I grabbed his hand and kept it there for a second. I felt warmth and moisture start pooling between my legs.**

**And I had to break away from the kiss because this, what he was doing, was making me go into sensation overload.**

"**Dean…" I was pleading now, though I didn't know for exactly what.**

"**Shh," he said, moving to slide his hand down my stomach, my muscles fluttering as he went. "I'll get you there."**

**I wanted to touch him now, wanted to make him feel good, too. Make him moan my name as I kissed my way down his chest, but I didn't know if I could do that without losing control.**

**Oh, and I already was losing control because I don't think the real me would have even thought about kissing my way down his chest.**

**His hands stopped moving when he got to my panties, and I wondered whether or not he had changed his mind. I looked at him and he began to move to get between my legs, kneeling there, and then his hands skipped right over the place I _wanted_ him to touch - I moaned a protest - and I thought maybe I was gonna have to lead him there.**

**Anyway, I was breathing heavily and my temperature wasn't getting any cooler. I wondered if he wanted me to beg, because if that was the case then that could definitely be arranged. All he had to do was say so.**

**A jolt of warmth went right to my center when I felt Dean massage the outside of my thighs. It made me loosen my legs a little. I hadn't realized until just then that they were only open enough for him to fit between them. I'd been tense, and he was trying to relax me.**

"**Breathe," he said, still massaging. And I did as I was told, because I definitely didn't want to pass out right now. Especially not from oxygen depravation.**

**I was shaking again, tension filling me, and I wanted to tell him to get on with it, but maybe doing this slowly was what Dean needed to be comfortable with doing it at all.**

**He bent my knee a little more and then his lips attached itself to the side of my leg - the inside of my thigh - using his tongue and teeth to nip and suck and lick.**

**And oh my God. I let out an embarrassingly loud moan. Well, if would have been embarrassing if I had actually cared what I'd sounded like at that juncture, which I didn't. At all.**

**He was thoroughly marking my right thigh and then when he was almost where I wanted him, he stopped and began working on the other one.**

**_Bastard_, I heard in my head, and that definitely hadn't been my voice. If I hadn't been too far gone to care, I would've told Dean about it, but there was no way that I wanted him to stop.**

**So I told him that. "If you stop now, I swear…" I let that threat hang there. I'd figure out what to do later if he stopped. Which, for the sake of _his_ health, he better not.**

**He paused from his ministrations, and I looked at him. His green eyes caught my brown ones, his lips still on my thigh, and, wow, if that wasn't the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.**

**My stomach muscles tensed and I wondered if he was doing this on purpose, and I wanted to know how the hell he seemed so calm and collected when he was driving me insane. I mean, was this not bothering him at all?**

**My hips bucked off the bed, or they tried to but he was holding me down. Because, well, his face was now rubbing up against me _there_. And apparently he'd known I was going to arch up to him, because he'd placed his hands firmly on my hips to keep me still. I looked down at him and saw that he was using the tip of his nose to lightly trail over the middle to the tip of my underwear.**

**I groaned in frustration. "Oh, I hate you right now." And he freaking laughed. He laughed, and he was teasing the hell out of me.**

**He moved away slightly, dragging my underwear down with him. _Finally_. I helped get them off, hurriedly, might I add, lifting my hips and legs and I let out a little sigh because they'd still been wet from the water. But they'd felt good on my over heated skin.**

**His hands traveled back up my legs and ran over the center of my folds there without actually slipping between them. I wanted more so I raised my hips almost instinctively, but he moved his hand away a little.**

"**Hey," he said huskily; it sounded like his voice was strained a little. "Look at me."**

**So I did. No matter what he'd been doing, he still seemed hesitant, like maybe he wouldn't have been doing this if he didn't have to be. He moved from between my legs and was now beside me, but one of his hands was still lightly playing with my leg.**

"**If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable you have to tell me, okay?"**

"**Uh-huh." _Please, please, please continue_, I added silently.**

**Thankfully, he did. Now that he was beside me, he kissed me again, and then he slowly slid his hand back to were I so desperately needed it.**

**The first time I felt his fingers circle around my little bud of desire, I sorta jumped in surprise, breaking away from the kiss, because…hello, this was new.**

"**Again," I demanded. "Please, again."**

**It was a rhythm of heat and friction, and I found myself shaking with the force of the tension he was creating in me. It was powerful and intense and overwhelming. It was too much but not enough at the same time.**

**The warmth was building in my stomach and his fingers were circling faster and faster. _Heat and friction, heat and friction_.**

**I grasped at the bed sheet needing to do _something_ with my hands but not wanting to risk grabbing him.**

**I was pretty much incoherent with pleasure by that point, but I was vaguely aware of my hips lifting off the bed, almost of their own accord, and muttering "Oh, God" over and over again, and tensing even further. I made a weird sound that sounded suspiciously like "Ungh".**

**And then I felt I couldn't go any higher, and I was right. He'd pressed just a little bit harder and had gone a little bit faster, and I was coming hard and fast - so hard it almost hurt - my muscles clenching in a way that was uncontrollable to me.**

**And I was screaming, actually _screaming_ his name. It was extremely loud at first, and then it was barely a whisper as the intensity began to fade. It was just like a litany of his name. Deandeandeandean.**

**Dean's fingers were still working me over, but they were more soothing than anything else now, helping bring me down to earth, helping me ride out my orgasm. Which I was still spasming from, by the way.**

**For the first time, I realized I was sweaty. It didn't surprise me, really, I just hadn't noticed before. Oh, and breathing heavily was also a major theme.**

**I sighed contentedly as Dean's hands left me. But I was so tired now. I closed my eyes and felt rather than saw Dean get up from the bed. I heard him grunt as if in pain and my eyes snapped open.**

**Oh, and he wasn't in pain, exactly, but he was standing there awkwardly, and my eyes traveled down his body, and he had a very visible, well, bulge, in his jeans.**

**I blushed deeply; I could feel it. Then I realized my near total nakedness wasn't helping matters much. I didn't know what to do here.**

"**Dean, should I - I mean, do you…" I trailed off. It was his move.**

**He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw shut. He was fighting for self-control. So what he'd been doing to me _had_ gotten to him, after all. Wow, okay, that was good to know.**

**I stood up on shaky legs and, ew, felt my own juices start to roll slightly down the insides of my thighs. My panties, which were still damp, were on the edge of the bed, so I slid them back on. It didn't matter, I'd have to shower again after that there.**

"**Dean," I said again, right in front of him now. "Can I?" I asked hesitantly. The lust voice was gone now. Probably because this had nothing to do with my lust. It was about helping Dean relieve his.**

**He opened his eyes again and looked at me, like, really _looked_ at me. He was probably trying to make sure it was really me.**

**I timidly brought my hand up to caress his cheek. "Let me help?" And it _was_ a question. I wasn't going to make him do anything he didn't want to. Well, I mean, clearly, he _wanted_ to, so let me rephrase that. I wasn't gonna make him do anything he didn't think was right.**

**He didn't protest; he leaned into my touch. That was his permission, I assumed. So I moved my hands slowly down his chest, and hesitated when I got to the waistband of his jeans. He wasn't wearing a belt, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was that I didn't know what to do here. Well, I mean, yes, in theory, I knew what to do, but in practice…not so much. Different guys liked different things, and since we'd never done this before I didn't know what he would like.**

**_Well, first thing's first…get the offensive materiel off of him_," I told myself. I slowly unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped them. My hands were shaky so that make it a little difficult.**

**Dean sighed in what sounded like relief when I pushed the jeans down and off his hips. They fell to the floor and since he didn't have any shoes on he stepped out of them, and closer to me. So close that I could feel him pressing into my stomach.**

**He still had his boxers and shirt on and I wondered whether I should remove both or just the boxers. He answered my question without me even asking it by removing the shirt himself.**

**My breath got caught in my throat because now there was only one piece of clothing standing in the way of Dean being fully nude. And I was nervous, completely. Not because I didn't want to do this, because I did, I really did. But what if I wasn't any good at it.**

**I brought my hands up again - they were still shaky - to the sides of his boxers, sliding my thumbs in and pulling them down slowly, taking a deep calming breath before continuing my trek down his legs.**

**And oh my God, he was completely naked now.**

**_Don't freak out_, I told myself. _He'll know if you freak out_.**

**Turns out _little Dean_ wasn't so little as it was thick and long and, wow, that was never gonna fit in me whenever we decided to have sex. I voiced my concerns out loud, embarrassingly. And he grinned slightly, but he looked like he was straining not to move.**

**I reached my right hand down and played with the hair there before using one finger to trace the length of his cock, experimentally. It gave an interested jerk, as if he hadn't been hard enough before. He was definitely standing in attention now.**

**Dean turned us around and pulled us back to the bed only this time, he was the one laying down. I was kneeling beside him and looking over him. He looked like he could be a model for a nude painting.**

**I took him in my hand gently, my hand getting slick with precum. And as I said before, I knew the basic theory of what to do at this point, so I stroked up slowly and then back down.**

**First thing I realized was that Dean was quieter than I was. But that didn't make him less passionate or intimate. In fact, it kinda weirded me out at first, but Dean didn't look away from me for a while. It was oddly sensual, his gaze never leaving mine as I continued sliding my hand up and down.**

**I was still of the opinion that he would never be able to fit inside me because he was, well, big. My hand barely fit around him. Not that I had anyone else to compare him to. But…you get the picture.**

**On my slide up, I used my thumb to circle around the slit at the tip of his length, and that got a surprising reaction out of him. His hips pushed up into my hand, seemingly of their own accord.**

**I smiled slightly, and did it again and again. One time for each stroke. Sweat was glistening off his body now and he looked…gorgeous would be the word, I guess. His eyes were closed now and he was panting and he threw his head back onto the pillow.**

**My hand was getting slicker now, making it harder to keep a steady pace, and my wrist was getting tired anyway. I think I got what people said about carpal tunnel syndrome now.**

**I twisted my hand trying to get a new angle to get the kink out of my wrist, and I didn't know what I did, but he came right then and there.**

**My hand stilled for a second, me watching in innocent fascination as he started pulsating, jerking in my hand. Then I started stroking again, milking him for all he was worth.**

**I still watched, though, as he came on my hand and even on his own stomach, and I had to admit, I hadn't seen _that _coming. No pun intended.**

**------------- -**

**Now that I was sated - for the moment anyway - and that Dean was sated, I was tired. And messy. And I didn't want to get up to take a shower, because I was tired.**

**Dean laid there for about two minutes, just breathing heavily and smiling slightly. His eyes were still closed, but his face was lax now, like all the tension had left his body. Which, basically, it had.**

**When he'd calmed down enough to prop himself up on his elbows, he looked concerned again. "Are you okay?"**

**I hadn't moved except to take my hand from him.**

"**Yeah," I whispered, which made it sound like, no, I wasn't okay. "Yeah," I repeated firmly.**

**I looked up at him and then back down to his stomach and cock, which was no longer hard.**

"**Did I do that right?" I asked self-consciously. "I mean, was that - was that…good?"**

**A smile broke out on his face. "Out of everything that could bother you about this…_that_ does?"**

**I blushed furiously because, yes, that did matter to me.**

**He grabbed my hand - the one I'd used on him- and pressed it against the mess on his stomach. It wasn't as disgusting as it probably should have been. I mean, it was a part of Dean.**

"**Do you feel that?" he asked softly. "You did that. You made me do that."**

**I smiled gently and looked into his eyes. "I made you feel good?"**

"**Always," he said, grinning.**

**And yes, that was corny…but it was sweet and it made my uncertainties go away.**

**------------- -**

**_I was in a bed; it wasn't in the motel bed, I knew that much. I was in a white room, a medium sized room, and I was on a queen-sized bed, and when I sat up I realized the sheets were red - a blood red._**

_**I looked around the room. There was a white dresser with a blond-haired woman in a tight black dress leaning on it. When I took a closer look, I realized that she was me…or I was her. Whatever. We looked the same. Only she was dressed like she had sex on the brain. Black high heels, tight short black dress, ruby red lips, thick eyelashes, and bleach blond hair.**_

"_**You're the succubus," I said, or whispered was more like it.**_

"_**Hm," she laughed. "Not quite."**_

"_**What are you talking about?"**_

"_**Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" The other me was starting to annoy me. She pushed herself off of the dresser and sauntered towards me. "I want you to do something for me." She was speaking seductively.**_

_**And I didn't know what was more freaky; the fact that she - this other me - was coming onto me, or the fact that I wasn't waking up. Hell, I wasn't even sure this was a dream anymore.**_

"_**Is this real?" I asked hesitantly.**_

_**She smiled. "Very real. If you hadn't noticed…I'm in your head." She sat down beside me and reached for my face, but I jerked away. I could've sworn she almost looked hurt. "I'll always be there unless you do what I want."**_

"_**Oh, and what's that?" I asked sarcastically. I didn't really want to know.**_

"_**Well," she smirked., "I would ask for a good roll in the sack with your Dean. But something tells me you wouldn't take too kindly to that" She closed her eyes as if she were relishing the memory of Dean. "Oh, but he would make a great sex toy."**_

"_**Hey," I said loudly. "He's my boyfriend. And he is not a piece of meat…or a toy you can play with." I took a deep breath, not wanting to waste time bickering with myself, or my other self. "What did you want?"**_

"_**To be free," she answered simply. "I didn't ask to be created."**_

"_**But you killed people. Those three girls."**_

"_**I only killed Julia." She did sound regretful. I wondered whether it was an act. "Julia wasn't strong enough to hold me. And you…are stronger than most."**_

"_**Meaning?"**_

"_**Your heart…your love for Dean - your love in general is stronger than I am."**_

_**I smiled slightly, but then reminded myself not to let my guard down.**_

"_**Your love is inspiring, actually. And it would be a shame for you to lose that." She sounded like she was taunting me now. "I could get stronger and the second that happens…I can take over and you'll be a prisoner in your own body. You'll be able to see the things I do with it. Or, more precisely, the people - men - I do with it."**_

_**I glared at her. What was she getting at? How was I supposed to free her?**_

"_**Julia didn't like it either. Sadly, by the time I was done with her, she was as good as dead."**_

"_**You took her over?"**_

"_**Almost instantly. As I said, she was weak. Most humans don't have the…stamina…to put up with me. But because of your healing thing…I became a little more comfortable. But I want to be free. I want my own body."**_

"_**Yeah, to do what with?" Given the havoc she'd wreaked on my body, I probably didn't even wanna know. But she ignored my question anyway. "And how did you know I could heal, anyway?"**_

_**She laughed shortly. "I'm in your head. I know everything about you. What you think, how you feel, what you want, who you love." She paused, biting her bottom lip. "And how to push your buttons."**_

"_**What the hell does that mean?" As I said before, she was annoying. She hadn't seemed threatening until now, though.**_

"_**It means that if I take over, the first thing I'm gonna do is take Dean for a little test drive."**_

_**I glared again. "I'm gonna kill you."**_

_**That didn't faze her. "I think you should try," she challenged sarcastically. "I'd love to see you kill me without killing yourself in the process." She got serious again. "There's a spell that can make me corporeal. I'd be made flesh and I would be strong again."**_

"_**Then why would I help you?"**_

"_**To protect Sam and Dean. See, a succubus - me- can make men powerless. I don't know if it's a pheromone or what, but they can't do a thing against us. And if you don't give me a true form…I'm gonna become you." She paused and grinned ferally. "Or you're going to become me. I mean, of course, you'll still be there, but I'll be the one in the driver's seat. Oh, the things I'll make you do to them."**_

_**She seemed to be enjoying herself far too much, and I clenched my hands into fists. Since this was just happening in my head, I didn't think I'd be able to fight this thing, not physically.**_

"_**But if you do that spell, give me a body, I'll leave them alone. You have my word."**_

_**I scoffed. Was that actually supposed to mean something to me? This was a thing and it was just trying to get its way.**_

"_**I'm not just a thing," she said, offended. I looked at her, confused. "I know your every thought. And you should look up where the first succubus started. How she came into being."**_

_**I sighed impatiently. "Okay, fine, but why would you help me?"**_

"_**Because I get something out of it, of course." Well, at least she was honest about that. "And because of the love you feel for Dean. It's heartwarming."**_

_**Love. Every time I'd focused on love the lust had faded just a little bit.**_

"_**But that won't work forever," she replied.**_

_**And that was the last thing she'd said to me before I woke up.**_

**------------- -**

**I told Sam and Dean about the dream - most of it anyway - and we called Stephan, who in turn, called Kevin. And they were both here at the motel with us.**

**Dean seemed kinda disgusted with Kevin and I got it. Using magic to try and get laid was pretty pathetic. I mean, it wasn't like this Kevin guy was ugly or anything like that. He'd be able to get a girl by himself.**

"**So, why'd you do it?" I asked. Oh, and my dreaded _lust_ was pretty much gone right now. The succubus seemed to be controlling itself, probably because I wouldn't be able to do what she wanted if I was, oh, say, unconscious.**

**Kevin looked up from the book he was reading from. In his defense, he did look like he felt guilty for what he'd done, for the damage he'd created. At least he wasn't a sociopath.**

"**I didn't mean to kill them. I guess I gave them too much."**

**Sam, who was at the table with his laptop in front of him, looked up at him. "Weren't you worried that…maybe the girls didn't _want_ that?"**

**Dean nodded, agreeing with Sam. "Yeah, David said Chelsea didn't believe in pre-marital sex."**

"**Chelsea was…" Kevin trailed off. "I never would've forced her to do anything she didn't want to do. The stuff I gave them…it fed on the desires that were already there. It was supposed to, well, heighten the pleasure." He paused. "I didn't know it would…create this thing. I didn't know it would kill them."**

**I bit my lip before speaking. "But you know it was wrong, right? Using magic to make them feel that way…No matter why you did it, it's still wrong. Magic always has consequences."**

"**Yeah, I realized that now," Kevin declared.**

"**Hey, what about Julia?" Sam asked. "Did you do anything to her?"**

**Stephan looked up at that question. He probably wanted to know the answer to that question.**

"**I swear, I didn't do anything to her," Kevin replied. "She loved that church. She used to go there all the time before it closed down. Hell, she even went after it closed."**

"**That's probably what happened then," I said. "She went there and then the thing latched onto her." _And then used her body as a sex machine_, I added silently, because Stephan didn't need to hear that part. Anyway, the succubus using Julia would explain the whole vaginal tearing and bruising; the thing had probably had her going nonstop.**

**------------- -**

**Kevin had found a spell to make her corporeal, well, to make a ghost corporeal, so we didn't know if it would work. But it was the only thing we'd found that had anything about making something solid, actually giving it form.**

**_It'll work_, I heard a voice inside my head say. The succubus' voice. Great.**

"**She said it'll work," I repeated.**

**Sam and Dean looked confused. I hadn't told them I could hear her in my head; I'd only told them about my dream.**

"**She knows everything we're doing," I explained. "That's why she's layin' off the heat for a while."**

"**So, it's a you help her, she helps you kinda thing?" Stephan asked curiously.**

"**Yeah," I said reluctantly. What the hell were we thinking? Hadn't we learned from John that making deals with demons wasn't good?**

**_I'm not a demon_, she reminded me.**

"**Yeah, yeah," I said out loud, which gained another look from all four guys. "Sorry, I'm arguing with myself."**

**Dean shook his head, rolling his eyes. "This is just too weird."**

"**Yeah, you're tellin' me," I answered.**

"**Um, guys," Kevin said, looking down at the book. "I found a little flaw with the plan." He paused, considering. "When she - the succubus becomes solid, she'll be lethal to all of us. Or, us guys anyway. All the male population will be powerless against her."**

"**Not to mention, we don't know how to kill her. We don't even know any of her weaknesses," Sam said. He was still sitting in front of his laptop. I had mine in front of me too. I hadn't really found anything, but I had looked up the legend of the succubus. Basically, it had been a woman at one time and supposedly she'd been hurt by so many men that it had turned her heart cold, but her libido had gone into overdrive, and she'd turned into this _something_. One legend said she was a spirit, another said she was a demon.**

**The only thing that matched was that the original succubus had been able to create demon-spawn, or succubus spawn anyway. Oh, and they drain the life out of the males through sex. As the guys came, so they went. How poetic.**

**So it was probably a really good thing Dean and I hadn't had sex.**

**_Your body is human, and I haven't taken over. It wouldn't have harmed him. I couldn't harm them when I had taken over Julia either. Men were still powerless against me, but I couldn't kill them that way._**

**I shuddered. But, hey, at least the victims of the succubus' felt good when they died.**

"**Hey," Stephan said, breaking me from my thoughts. "You realize you're gonna have to go to that church? That's where she was created, it's gotta be where we do this."**

**I groaned inwardly. I was going to have to take part in witchcraft…in a church, which was just wrong; so wrong.**

"**Okay, so what exactly does this thing entail?" I asked.**

**Kevin was the one who answered. "Well, we're gonna have to stop and get some supplies first." He handed a book to Dean, probably so Dean would trust him, to show Dean he was actually here to help and no hinder. "The ingredients are very common, they won't be a problem. Now, there's two parts to this spell."**

**He paused and Stephan took over.**

"**Right. The first part calls the succubus out of you. Um…that might get uncomfortable." He paused like he hadn't thought of that before. "Anyway, after she's out…we finish the spell and she should be able to take shape. She'll have a body."**

"**She'll have my body," I clarified. "That's what shape she'll take."**

**Sam and Dean looked at me. "How do you know?" Sam asked.**

"**Let me see that," I said to Dean. I was talking about the book Kevin had handed to him. He, in turn, handed it to me.**

**The spell to bring the succubus out of me needed my blood, which was gonna be tricky since I healed instantly. I needed to do it so that Stephan and Kevin didn't see it. I'd probably just put a bandage or something on it real quick after cutting myself.**

**The spell…I had to use my blood because it needed a part of the person the spell was being directed at. Blood was the strongest part.**

**So that's what I told them. I mean, they'd have to build from the first part, so it would make sense that the second part would have to use the blood too. Hence, she'd look like me.**

**Stephan, who was at the table reading from a book, looked at me. "I found something. I don't know if it's gonna help or not, but I found something." He paused, looking back at the book. He reminded me of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, absorbed in the book in front of him.**

"**Okay, well, don't keep us in suspense forever," Dean said, semi-impatiently. "What did you find?"**

**I smiled slightly because…Dean was Buffy in this scenario. Which was okay with me because Buffy kicked ass…most of the time.**

"**Okay, bear with me because most of this is just speculation. But according to this, we _can_ kill this thing. It says "her weapon is also her weakness"."**

"**Okay, so what's her weapon?" Sam asked. "Lust?"**

**The four guys looked at me. "How am I supposed to know?" I asked defensively. "Just because she's in my head doesn't mean I know everything about her. Besides…I don't think she's likely to answer honestly to that one."**

**------------- -**

**Dean, Stephan, and I were in the Impala; me and Dean in the front, Stephan in the back. Sam had gone with Kevin to the occult shop to make sure he didn't try and pull one over on us.**

**Dean had been the one to suggest it because he still didn't trust him. Not that I blamed him. I mean, Kevin had been the one to create the succubus, even if it had been unwittingly.**

**Anyway, I was going through the theology book that Stephan had loaned us the first time he'd been at the motel. There were a bunch of spells that seemed useless in this case, and some of them just sounded downright ridiculous.**

**There was a spell that was supposed to take pain away, but supposedly you were supposed to roll a hard-boiled egg over the afflicted area at a certain time while saying an incantation in Latin, and then after you were done you were supposed to smash the egg. The next morning your pain was meant to be gone because the egg was supposed to have sucked it all up, and as you smashed the egg, you banished the pain. Right…as I said, ridiculous. But wouldn't I feel stupid if that actually worked?**

**There was another spell that could transfer feelings. Like, you could make someone feel what you were feeling, and vice versa. That one was pretty simple.**

**I mean, in theory, anyway. Because all you had to do was say the words and they were in English. Oh, and you had to be in physical contact with the person in order to transfer said feelings.**

**Then there was the whole debate on whether people had to say the words. Because, apparently, some people didn't have to. They could just focus on something, like the transference of feelings, and it would happen without them saying anything.**

"**Do these things actually work?" I asked Stephan. "I mean, taking someone's pain away with an egg?"**

"**Never tried that one," Stephan admitted. "I haven't done many spells lately, actually."**

"**How'd you get into this stuff?" Dean wondered. "And why?"**

**Stephan sighed, and I turned to look at him. "We were fifteen," he started. "We just did simple spells, like glamours to get rid of zits and things like that. Kevin and I along with a few kids from school…it was fun at first, ya know, new. But then things escalated."**

**He didn't say anything else, but I did. "Someone got hurt?"**

**He nodded. "Yeah. The group…they, uh, had this one guy, he quit. Now, back in the old days, when someone left the circle, the group would kill them. They didn't do that, they just found ways to torture him without actually hurting him. Kevin and I didn't want to hurt anyone, so we quit too."**

"**Making yourselves targets," I caught on.**

"**Right." He paused, looking at me. "I was stronger than them. They didn't come after me much, but Kevin and the other one…they came to me for protection." Now when he stopped talking, he looked like he was wondering whether or not he should say something. Like maybe he hadn't told us everything.**

"**What?" I asked gently, trying to coax it out of him. Like Sam would've.**

"**Well, I realize this is going to sound unorthodox, mixing witchcraft with religion, but…just hear me out." He stopped talking yet again, this time gathering his thoughts. "Okay, well, in the Bible…God used sorcerers to do his will sometimes. Like that one guy…um…Balaam. Now, some say he was a prophet, but I believe he practiced the arts. That king, Balak, I think his name was, sent for him. So he would curse the Israelites.**

"**But instead, he blessed them," I said, catching on. I'd read the Bible, I knew that.**

"**Right," Stephan was more enthusiastic about it now that he knew I wasn't going to judge him for doing what he was. "Because God told him to. It leads me to believe that…well, a ritual is like a prayer, right?"**

**That shocked me. "Come again?" I looked at Dean, who didn't seem to be bothered by this conversation.**

"**Witchcraft or any of the arts like that…you have to have a sacrifice, the right supplication. And back in the old days, you went to the alter to pray and sacrifice things as offerings. Granted, they used animals, and I don't kill things, but when I do stuff, I make it very plain that I don't want it to work unless He says it should. Unless it's His will."**

"**Um, okay. That _is_ unorthodox." Of course, I was biased because I was brought up thinking that witchcraft was wrong. But I assumed if it was more of a prayer than a ritual, then it was okay. I mean, some could call an exorcism ritual a type of prayer, if you looked at it that way.**

"**And anyway, I only do it when I have to. When I need a specific thing done. Something I know for a fact I can't do myself…I ask for a little divine intervention. And every person who dabbles has to know their god and believe in him…or her if you're into that. But I chose to pray to _the_ God."**

"**So, does it work?" Dean asked skeptically. He was probably referring to the fact that Stephan's cleansing spell at the church hadn't worked.**

**I saw Stephan smile. "When it's meant to."**

**Hm. I just hoped _this_ was meant to work.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the abandoned church we had to wait a while because Sam and Kevin weren't there yet. We stayed in the car for about a minute, but then Stephan said he'd be able to at least set up the symbols that went with the spell. He needed to rearrange the spell anyway so that it would sound like a prayer instead of a ritual.**

**So we went into the church. The first thing I noticed were pews. They were wooden, but old. They looked stable enough, though.**

**As we continued down the aisle, I continued looking at the book I'd been skimming in the car. I was still reading the one about the transference of feelings, because, technically, that's what was happening to me. I could feel the lust when the succubus made me feel it.**

**Which, thankfully, she hadn't in a while. As I'd said, I couldn't help her if I couldn't function properly.**

**Finally, Sam and Kevin pulled up in Kevin's car. They had a paper bag with them, which I assumed had the stuff we needed in it.**

**Kevin was the one who actually put the stuff together. Sam watched over him, though, because we couldn't afford to mess this up.**

**Dean, Stephan and I stayed back from the circle and just observed.**

"**Hey, Stephan," I said, "when we talked to David, he said you two don't get along anymore. Why is that?"**

"**He walked in on me while I was doing a ritual, and he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He said that he wasn't gonna be so bold as to tell me what to do, but unless I stopped then we couldn't be friends anymore."**

"**I'm sorry," I said sincerely.**

**Stephan shrugged. "People shy away from things they don't understand. It's human nature."**

**A few minutes later, Kevin said he was done preparing the ingredients. "All right, Alyson, you have to get in the circle, and whatever happens don't move from it."**

"**What do you mean, whatever happens?" Dean asked. "Is this gonna hurt her?"**

"**No," Kevin said. "I mean, yes, it will be uncomfortable, but it won't hurt her."**

**I squeezed Dean's arm reassuringly before letting go and stepping into the circle.**

"**The reason she shouldn't break the circle is so that we don't have to start over," Stephan said. "Also, we don't know what would happen if the ritual got interrupted."**

**Stephan was the one who was going to be performing the ritual, so he took the bowl of ingredients from Kevin and stepped closer to me and handed it to me.**

"**Start pouring this lightly around you clockwise. Make a full circle." He was careful not to step inside the circle with me. I didn't know why, maybe it would defile it or something.**

**I bent down on my knees and started doing as Stephan had asked. I looked over at Dean and Sam. Dean looked like he didn't trust this ritual we were doing. Sam looked like he was interested in the ritual we were doing. Being the book-dude that he was, he probably _was_ interested.**

**Stephan moved away to the paper bag that Kevin brought and drew out a very sharp dagger. I couldn't see it very clearly, but I noticed it was silver. The blade and the hilt.**

**When I was done I set the bowl on the floor outside of the circle and continued to balance myself on my knees. I wondered what I was supposed to do now. I didn't have to wait long to find out. Stephan came towards me with the dagger and knelt before me outside the circle. He had a little vial of something with him, too. I hadn't noticed it before.**

"**What's that?" I asked.**

"**Holy water," he answered. "I have to bless this knife so you can use it."**

"**Oh," I replied. I didn't know what else to say because I knew absolutely nothing about ceremonial stuff.**

**Then Stephan opened the vial and poured a few drops on one side of the blade and then on the other, chanting all the while. I thought it was Latin, but I wasn't entirely certain. And I wasn't going to interrupts him just to find out.**

**When he got done, he handed me the knife, which I studied briefly. As I'd said, it was silver, but there were little ruby-looking things on the hilt of it. So it actually looked like a ceremonial dagger.**

"**Okay, I'm gonna do the ritual now," Stephan said. "Don't cut yourself until after I finish speaking." He paused and then added, "as we said earlier, don't move from the circle. Also, if we do this right, the stuff you just put on the floor around you will start to smoke." He smile slightly. "I just thought I'd warm you so you wouldn't freak out.**

**I nodded my thanks because I probably _would_ have freaked out. I watched as Kevin brought Stephan the book that this ritual was in, but Stephan refused it. He didn't need it because he'd rearranged the words already.**

**Stephan started speaking in a language that wasn't English and it irritated me that I couldn't understand it and follow along. At first I didn't think he was doing it right because I wasn't feeling uncomfortable like they'd said I would. But then a heat started building up. It wasn't like it had been earlier. It wasn't lust, just heat. It started in my stomach and started spreading. It felt odd.**

**_Don't worry, he's just pulling me out of you_, I heard the succubus say.**

**When the chanting was over, I did what I was supposed to do. I brought the dagger up to my palm and cut it deep enough so that a few drops would hit the inside of the circle before it healed.**

**The heat intensified as I felt the succubus leaving my body. It was a little more than uncomfortable, but it wasn't unbearable.**

**I saw it take form, my form. She looked the same as she had in my dream. Blond hair, tight curve-fitting dress, black heels.**

**That didn't surprise me. What surprised me was that the heat wasn't leaving me; it was getting stronger, more painful. Like, fire burning me from the inside out painful.**

**I started shaking with the force of it. I sent a panicked look Dean's way and he looked confused at first, like he didn't know what I was panicked about and, of course he wouldn't, because this wasn't supposed to hurt.**

**Well, whether it was supposed to or not, it did. Badly.**

**Next thing I knew I smelt smoke and at first I thought it was coming from me, but then I realized it was coming from the stuff I'd poured around me. Stephan had said it would do that if this was going right. Well, I didn't think it was going right. This hurt.**

**I felt the wind start to pick up, but…what the hell? We were inside. My hair started whipping around my face and the heat just _kept_ _building_, and it was a good thing I was already on the floor because if I hadn't been I would've collapsed.**

**My body started to convulse, I didn't know why. But it felt like there was something that needed to be freed.**

**I was vaguely aware of someone grabbing hold of me - Dean, probably, or Sam - and of someone telling them not to disturb the circle.**

**The next few things that happened were so sudden that I didn't know which happened first. Or maybe they happened simultaneously, I don't know.**

**But I know I screamed because I felt like I was on fire, or what I imagined that would be like. I arched my back and felt the heat energy explode outwards like a nuclear bomb that was ready to destroy everything surrounding it. I felt whoever had hold of me let go, but it felt as if he'd been pulled away, or pushed. Hell, even thrown. I heard someone else scream…I saw a bright light. Silver, light gold, white, light blue was in there too. I heard a crash…and then everything went black.**

**------------- -**

**When I came to, I realized I was on my side on the floor. I turned over on my back slowly, carefully. I felt weak and shaky.**

**Things came back to me slowly - screams, light, energy. I sat up, putting my hands on the floor to balance myself. I felt dizzy now.**

**I opened my eyes and looked around and my jaw dropped.**

**_Oh…my God_, was the only thing I could think.**

**The first thing I noticed was the burnt body of the succubus, and the smell coming from it. Burnt flesh. I covered my mouth with my hand and looked away. I wondered if my little explosion had done it. Which would make sense because heat had been her weapon, I thought.**

**The second thing I notice was that there were no longer any windows. I assumed they'd been blown out when the energy - whatever that had been - had been released.**

**The third thing was the guys. I saw Dean, Sam, and Stephan. I didn't know where Kevin was.**

**Dean was a little to the left of me. Sam and Stephan had been thrown down the aisle. None of them were moving.**

"**Oh, God," I said. What if I'd hurt them?**

**Dean was up against the pulpit, where service would have been conducted when this church had been open. I tried getting up to go to him but found I couldn't, not without falling. So I settled for crawling, which was just as hard, getting my hands and knees to support my weight.**

**Apparently, the energy that had been expended was my own, because most of my strength was gone.**

**When I finally made it to Dean, I was breathing heavily. I made sure his pulse was steady and strong before resting for just a minute.**

**I couldn't rest long, however, because I had to check on the others. So I tried to get up again without anymore success than I'd had last time.**

**I heard a soft groan and looked to where it was coming from Stephan was moving now, trying to sit up. When he accomplished that, he looked around just as I had, taking everything in.**

"**Are you okay?" I asked quietly.**

**His gaze caught mine. "Yeah." He reached for his head almost like he was in a daze. "What happened?"**

"**I don't know. I was busy with passing out." I looked at Sam, who was only a little ways away from Stephan, so I told Stephan to check on him.**

"**He's fine," Stephan replied, leaning over him. "He's breathing." He looked around. "Where's Kevin?" he asked as though that thought had just occurred to him.**

**I shrugged, but winced because it hurt to do that. I moved back to Dean to try and wake him up. I stroked his cheek gently and whispered his name, calling him back to me.**

**When his eyes opened, he blinked a few times before sitting up. He looked confused for a second and then he looked at me, asking me with his eyes if I was okay.**

**I nodded. "Dean, I don't know what happened." I was referring to the burst of energy from earlier. Before Dean could answer, though, I heard movement and looked to see Sam getting unsteadily to his feet.**

"**Ow, my butt," Sam muttered, and Dean snickered.**

**He walked over to us and squatted down beside us. "What happened?" He was looking at me like he thought I could actually answer.**

"**I-I don't know. I don't…" I trailed off. "I'm sorry."**

**Sam helped me and Dean to our feet, me holding onto them to keep from going back down. As we went down the aisle I noticed Stephan sitting down on one of the pews looking maybe a little lost. We decided to leave him be for now.**

**We continued down to aisle and we paused when we spotted Kevin laying awkwardly between two pews. Sam let go of me to go try and wake him up, so I held on tighter to Dean.**

**After a few seconds, Sam stilled beside Kevin. "Guys, we have a problem." He looked back and Dean and me. "He's not breathing."**

**------------- -**

**I'd killed someone.**

**That was the only thought that was going through my mind. Whatever power I'd discovered, that I'd tapped into…it had killed Kevin.**

**I felt myself fall backwards into Dean. I felt myself wanting to pass out again. But I didn't.**

"**I killed him," I whispered. Kevin was dead and it was my fault. He was a _person_ and I'd killed him.**

**I felt guilt and pain and…I didn't know what else. I'd been told that I was good, _inherently_ good. But…I'd _killed_ Kevin. My powers had killed him. Something good couldn't do that. Wouldn't do that.**

**I mean, it was one thing to kill something evil, but…Kevin had been human and now he was dead. Because of me.**

* * *

Wow, yeah, I hadn't actually set out to make it this way. I'd had a totally different way of ending this chapter, but this just seemed to fit, so I went with it. Anyway, let me know what you think.


	20. Croatoan Pt One

**Alison: I'm glad you like the name. LOL. Um, I forgot to mention this when I updated last time, so I'm sorry. Anyway, I've always liked that name, that's why I decided to use it. About the writing style, I'm happy you enjoy it. And I hadn't thought much about it, actually, but it is almost like a diary of sorts. Also, I agree that their relationship is fairly emotional, which is all fine and dandy since Dean needs an emotional outlet, like, almost always, but a physical outlet would be great, too. Especially with him. LOL. Um...and reviews are always great. They are my muse, actually like you said. So, yeah, please keep them coming.**

**Croatoan  
Part One**

**We were back at the motel now. It had been three hours since we'd done the ritual. Three hours since we'd found Kevin, since I'd killed him.**

**We'd called the cops because we had to report Kevin's death. Sam had removed the succubus' body before they'd gotten there. I had wanted to tell the police that I'd done it - not the explosion thing, because they'd lock me in a padded room - but Dean and Sam had persuaded me to go along with their story: Kevin had called Stephan and told him to meet there. We'd gone with him and found Kevin like that.**

**It appeared that Kevin had been standing on one of the pews and had fallen and broken his neck, only we knew what _really_ happened.**

**I'd killed him. That had already sunk in, but I didn't want to talk about it. I think the guys understood that, because neither of them had brought it up. Yet.**

**Sam was with us now even though we had separate rooms. He kept sending sympathetic glances my way, which was worse than if he'd said something. And Dean kinda looked like he _wanted_ to say something but didn't know how I'd react if he did.**

**So we were desperately avoiding the subject. I'd discovered this explosive new ability - Stephan had said it wasn't the spell, so it was all me - and I'd killed Kevin with it. And no, he wasn't the world's most solid citizen, but he didn't deserve to die.**

**And, oh God, what about his parents? When they found out he'd died, how were they gonna feel? And it was my fault.**

**Sam and Dean were beside me on the bed, one on either side, neither saying anything. They were just there.**

**Random thoughts just kept popping in my head. Some were about what had happened, what I'd done. Others were about _how_ I'd done it.**

**There was something on the edge of my mind that I either couldn't or wouldn't think about, but I figured that it couldn't have been as important as this. I mean, I'd never killed anyone before, this was way more important.**

"**You know this isn't your fault, right?" Sam said, breaking the silence. "You couldn't have done anything to prevent it."**

**I bit my lip before answering. "Look, I…I really don't wanna talk about it."**

"**Yeah, okay," Sam replied. "But…you know that's the truth, right? You didn't know it would happen. You didn't make it happen on purpose."**

**Like that made it any better. No, I hadn't meant to kill Kevin; it didn't change the fact that I had.**

**------------- -**

**I had dreams that night. It was everything…my mom…when I'd been tortured by those demons in San Francisco…Kevin.**

**When I woke up, I wasn't screaming. Hell, I wasn't even crying…but I felt dirty. Man, did I feel dirty.**

**It was still dark when I woke up and I felt Dean's presence behind me on the bed. We weren't touching, which was admittedly my doing.**

**I sighed before standing up to go to the bathroom. When I got in there I shut and locked the door. I breathed in deep, wondering what I should do. I mean, I felt like I needed to scrub myself clean, but I knew that wouldn't work, so I didn't even try.**

**I moved to the sink and took in my reflection in the mirror there. I looked exhausted, emotionally drained. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see myself anymore. I didn't want to hear the litany of _badbadbad_ going through my head.**

**When I opened my eyes again, I still didn't like what I saw. I saw a killer.**

**I started trembling with pain and guilt and…rage?**

**Rage seemed good so I went with it. Before I even knew what I was doing I made my hand into a fist and hit the mirror in front of me, shattering it. Most of the pieces fell into the sink, but the important thing was that I couldn't see myself anymore.**

**The pain and the blood didn't even register in my mind until I heard someone trying to get in. The door was locked, so they - and it was both of them - couldn't open the door.**

"**Hey, let us in!" That was Dean, he sounded frantic. He was probably wondering what had happened.**

**That's the only reason I opened the door. Both Sam and Dean were there looking worried. I hadn't known it but I guess Sam had slept in our room. Dean looked at me for a second and then at the damage I'd caused.**

"**What happened?"**

"**I didn't want to look at myself anymore," I whispered.**

**Sam was the one who noticed my hand first. "Wow, um, we should get you cleaned up."**

"**No…let it hurt," I requested.**

"**That's crazy talk," Dean said, grabbing my arm and leading me back to the main room. "Sit." He was referring to the bed.**

"**What am I, a dog?" I didn't say it to be mean, I just said it. I sat on the bed anyway while Dean got the first aid kit.**

"**Um, I'm gonna clean the bathroom up," Sam said. He was giving Dean and me space.**

**Things were quiet while Dean cleaned my hand. I didn't flinch when he got the shards of glass out, and it didn't faze me when my hand healed. When he was done, I didn't look at him; I kept my gaze on my hand.**

**I was shivering again. I didn't know how to deal with this. I didn't really _want_ to deal with it. I wasn't aware that I was crying until I felt tears fell down my cheeks. I wiped them away.**

"**Hey," Dean said softly, but I still didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to see the disgust I felt for myself reflected in his eyes. "Why won't you look at me?"**

**I took an unsteady breath in and I felt my lips tremble. "I didn't mean to kill him," I said, my face contorting with pain. "I didn't mean it." I looked up at him now. "I don't know how to explain it to make you understand."**

"**Well, try?" he asked gently.**

**I felt a tear get caught on the side of my nose, but I didn't wipe it away this time.**

"**Dean," I moved so my body would be facing his. "Do you think I'm good?"**

**He looked taken aback. "What?"**

**I heard Sam tinkering around in the bathroom. "Do you think I'm good?"**

**Dean reached both his hands up and cupped my face between them. "I think you're _amazing_." He wiped my face clean with his thumbs.**

**I shook my head. "No. I killed a person. An innocent person. And he wasn't possessed…he was just…" _in the wrong place at the wrong time_, I added silently. "If I was good I couldn't have done that."**

"**Hey," he said sharply, "you are not a bad person. You had no control over what happened. I mean, you said it yourself, you didn't _mean_ to." He was frustrated, but I knew it had more to do with the situation than anything else.**

**I stood up and moved away from him. "You think that makes a difference?" I nearly shouted, and Sam came out of the bathroom looking sympathetic again. Which just made me angrier. Maybe hysterical was a better word. I just started saying whatever came to mind. "God, just stop being nice to me. Someone is dead because of me." Then I decided to tell them about the source of my problem. "This…_thing_…that I can do, my abilities, I don't want them anymore. I want them gone."**

**Neither of them said anything. They didn't know how to help me. They seemed okay with letting me rant, though.**

"**I mean, I don't know what…what if it had been one of you, huh?" I paused, watching Dean stand up and come towards me. "What if…what if it hadn't been Kevin. What if it had been you?" Dean reached for me, but I moved away from him again. "I'm _dangerous_. I could've killed you guys. What would I have done if…"**

**Dean pulled me to him now, my protests be damned. "We're both okay," he said. "You didn't hurt us."**

"**But I _could have_," I whispered, the fire gone from my voice now.**

"**But you didn't," Sam said, coming over to stand with us. "I mean, yeah, I have a bruise the size of Texas on my ass, but we're both okay."**

**I laughed a little and slumped against Dean. "You guys don't hate me?"**

"**Of course not," they both said.**

**Well, that was good, since I wasn't exactly my biggest fan right now.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning, I still wasn't happy with myself, far from it, but I wasn't wanting to make my reflection go away.**

**When I turned over I saw Dean there laying on his back, sleeping, so I moved over to lay my head on his chest and I wrapped an arm around him.**

**I felt like a cat nuzzling up to her owner, you know, like when they lean into your touch when you're rubbing them down. The only thing that was missing was the purring, but since I wasn't a kitten, I was okay with that.**

**Anyway, back to reality here. Kevin was dead now because of me. And yes, I'd heard everything that Sam and Dean had said. I didn't make it happen on purpose. I didn't know how to control my newfound power. These were both true and very valid, but that still didn't change the fact that Kevin was no longer breathing and that I was the cause of it.**

**------------- -**

**A couple hours later, we were all up and getting ready to leave. We didn't have a destination, per se, because we didn't have another job yet. Which was just fine with me. It gave me time to wallow in my guilt. If the guys would let me, which they probably wouldn't.**

**Or Dean probably wouldn't, anyway. Dean was more the "I'm gonna talk about anything but that to take your mind off of it," type, whereas Sam was the sympathetic glances "I'm here if you wanna talk and if you don't talk about it I'm gonna bug you until you do," type.**

**Well, I'd already talked about it, or more precisely, yelled and ranted and raved about it. And my main concern now was that if I lost control again I might hurt someone else. And I might hurt Sam and Dean, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that.**

**But anyway, back to the present point in time. We were getting ready to go. First item on the menu was getting our small amount of stuff together and in the car.**

**Second thing was telling the manager that the mirror had broken. Dean said we should just leave it, but I insisted on paying for it because I was the one who'd done it. Taking responsibility for you actions and all that.**

**After sorting that out - I think the manager ripped me off - we were back on the road again. Classic rock and all, which I was content with for a while.**

**But then my mind replayed the dream I'd had. It had switched from one bad thing to another. I hadn't dreamed of being tortured in a long time. I'd mostly gotten over it. I mean, I remembered it, how could I forget, but I hadn't let it bother me in a while.**

**The things those demons had told me came rushing back, that's what my mind had been trying to remember the night before. That's probably why I'd had a dream about that in the first place. My subconscious was connecting the dots between my new ability and what they'd said.**

"**Guys," I said, deciding I should tell them about it. I mean, I'd mentioned it to Dean before, but I'd never gone into specifics. "What do you remember about what happened when I had my little…episode?"**

**Dean turned the music down but not off. "Not much. I grabbed onto you because you were shaking and then you screamed. Somewhere between me being thrown across the room and being knocked out…you let out this bright light."**

"**Did it hurt?" I asked quietly. "The light itself, did it hurt?"**

"**No," Sam answered honestly. "I mean, it was kinda blinding, but it didn't physically hurt."**

"**But there was a hell of a lot of force behind it," Dean said. "I mean, you took out the church windows."**

**Sam, who was in the passenger seat, turned to look at me. "Why are you asking all this?"**

"**Well," I started, "I had a dream last night that was about what happened in San Francisco…with the demons."**

**I saw both of them tense. I knew this was a sore subject for them, that they blamed themselves for it, and that's why I hated bringing this up, but…I had to. They needed to know. I mean, they'd learned some of it when John had been possessed by the yellow-eyed demon, but I'd found out even more from those demons when they'd been cutting into me.**

"**They told me that I would be a threat to them. They were scared of me, that's why demons want me dead. Why yellow-eyes wants me dead." I paused, collecting my thoughts before continuing. "They told me I'd be able to _burn_ a demon out of someone, I'd be able to kill them, not just exorcise them, but destroy them."**

**Dean looked back at me through the rearview mirror. "You never said anything about that," he said, sounding a little hurt, or as hurt as he'd let himself sound around Sam.**

**I got it, though. He was hurt because he'd been open with me, probably almost completely, and I'd held back with him.**

**I moved closer to the front seat so that I could lean over it a little with my arms. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything," I said sincerely. "But until yesterday I didn't believe that they were right. I thought it was just nonsense. But I killed that succubus with whatever power I discovered. And I know she wasn't a demon, exactly, but I still killed her." I bit my lip, thinking. "But it's dangerous, too." I sighed sadly. "And I don't wanna hurt anyone else. So since I can't get rid of it…I need to learn to control it."**

**I assumed both Sam and Dean heard the determination in my voice, because they didn't question it or try to dissuade me from the decision I'd made.**

**------------- -**

**We were stopped at a gas station now. Dean went inside while Sam pumped. I stayed outside with Sam and got out to stand beside him. It felt chilly but not completely cold even though it was the middle of November.**

"**Ya know, I get where you're coming from," Sam said. We hadn't been talking about anything so I didn't know what he meant.**

"**What?"**

"**Oh, um, the whole wanting to control your abilities thing." He looked at me then back at the gas nozzle thing. "I get it."**

**Right, he had visions. They were so few and far between that I'd almost forgotten he had them.**

"**They scare me," I confessed. "Or this one does anyway. I mean, I don't even know what triggered it." I paused, looking back at the store where Dean was and then back at Sam. "So, um, visions…" That's all I said, which basically ended that conversation. I mean, I knew all I needed to know. His visions started about a year-and-a-half ago, give or take a couple months. He'd had nightmares about Jessica before she'd been killed by the yellow-eyed demon. His visions were always connected to the demon in one way or another.**

**I watched as Sam took the nozzle out of the tank entrance thing. He got a confused look on his face and shook his head before placing the nozzle back into its place at the pump.**

"**What?" I asked. "You were having an expression."**

"**Nothing. I just felt a twinge or something."**

**And then he was grabbing his head, and he would've fallen to the ground, but he fell into me instead, pinning me to the trunk of the car.**

**From the way he was acting, he was having a vision. Which was ironic in my book since we'd just been talking about them.**

"**Sam?" I whispered, not wanting to draw attention to us.**

**His eyes were closed - shut tight - and I didn't think he could hear me. Whatever he was seeing, it had sucked him in fully because the only movement he made was breathing.**

**And my goodness, he was heavy. As I'd said, he was pinning me to the trunk and my hips were now being dug into by the metal, which didn't feel too good.**

"**Dean," I heard Sam whisper almost frantically.**

"**Dean?" I wondered out loud, making myself look in the store's direction again. I saw him at the counter, probably paying for whatever he was getting.**

"**Sam," I said urgently. "Is Dean in trouble?" He didn't answer me, but it wasn't his fault so I didn't get mad.**

"**No, no," he repeated over and over and then he went slack against me. His head fell onto my shoulder, which can't have been comfortable for him since he was so tall and he had to hunch down to do it.**

**His arms fell down to grab at the car, trapping me between them, and for the first time I realized he was shaking, _trembling_. I didn't know whether it was from the pain or the vision itself, but I didn't ask just yet. I brought my arms up and around him and tried to reassure him that everything was fine.**

"**Dean," he said again. He whispered it this time, too.**

"**Dean is fine," I said, again looking towards the store. He was coming out now. He caught my eye and stopped walking for a second when he caught the position we were in.**

**And I had to admit, it looked pretty bad. Sam's body was pinning me to the car and my arms were around him. The only thing missing was the kissing, if you'll excuse the rhyme there. Oh, but Sam's head was on my shoulder and if you looked a certain way you could probably mistake it for kissing.**

**I watched as Dean resumed his walk towards us.**

"**Hey," he said cautiously. "What's goin' on? Obviously, I missed something."**

**Very valid statement and question, so I answered. "He saw something. I was keeping him from falling down." I took a deep breath. "Help me?"**

**Sam's legs were shaking like they were about to give out on him. Dean put the stuff he'd bought - a six pack of beer and a few bottles of water - in the backseat. Then he helped me move Sam to the car, where we sat him down. Sam looked like he was gazing off into space.**

**Dean bent down in front of him. "Sam?" he said hesitantly.**

**Sam looked at him. Okay, so he wasn't in shock that was good.**

"**Sam, what did you see?" he asked.**

"**You," Sam answered. "I saw you."**

**Well, I'd figured that much from when he'd said his name.**

**Sam looked down at his knees and then back up at Dean. He glanced at me and then his gaze focused on his brother.**

"**Dean, we were in a place called River Grove. There was a guy tied to a chair and…" he trailed off.**

"**And?" Dean prompted.**

"**You shot him," Sam answered reluctantly.**

"**What?" Dean and I asked in unison.**

"**I don't know why. I just…that's what I saw." Sam got out his cell phone. "I'm gonna call Ash, see if he can tell me what state this is in."**

"**Um…" I bit my lip. "If Dean is supposed to kill a guy, shouldn't we be going in the opposite direction?"**

"**This could be connected to the demon. We have to go."**

**I shrugged. "So what if it is? What are _we_ gonna do about it if the demon shows up? Ask him nicely to give us the Colt back so we can kill him?"**

**Dean looked up at me, probably surprised by my attitude. "Alyson-"**

"**No, Dean," I interrupted. "Just no." I looked away. "No one else is gonna die because of us."**

**He stood up to face me, looking decidedly hurt. "You really think I'd kill an innocent person?"**

**Sam shut his door, probably to block us out.**

**I sighed. "I did." I looked at him. "And Sam already had the vision."**

"**Exactly. We already know what's gonna happen, so we can avoid it."**

"**Not if we walk right into his vision," I argued. Dean didn't say anything to that because he probably knew I was telling the truth.**

**He moved closer to me slowly. "I'm not gonna hurt anybody." He grabbed onto my arms. "Not if I can help it. But we _have_ to check this out.**

**I looked down at the ground and bit my lip again. I knew Dean didn't want to kill anyone, especially someone who was innocent, but sometimes accidents happened. I knew that from experience.**

"**Hey, uh," Dean said lightly, removing his hands. "You and Sam seemed pretty snuggly earlier."**

**I looked up at him, _glared_ at him. This was not the time for _that_ discussion.**

"**Hey, easy." He grinned. "I was just joking."**

"**Yeah, well, I didn't think it was very funny." I sighed. "Dean, I love Sam…I just don't _love_ Sam."**

"**I know that." He looked at me, worried. "What's wrong with you, why're you being so defensive?"**

"**Because I killed someone. And now Sam says _you_ might kill someone." I didn't mind telling him this because maybe he needed to hear it. "I'm not saying you'll do it if we go to River Grove, wherever that is, but…" I trailed off, not exactly knowing how to say what I wanted to.**

"**But?"**

"**Dean, I know what it feels like to take a life that doesn't deserve taking. It feels like something sick creeped inside me and I can't get it out. It's like getting blood on a white sweater. No matter how hard I scrub, I'll never be completely clean again; there will always be a stain. And I don't want you to feel like that."**

**Okay, and yeah, I realized that Dean had killed a guy before. The one that had been attacking Sam when we'd went to save John, but that was totally different. That guy had been possessed, and he hadn't had a choice. I don't think it would have bothered me as much if Kevin had been possessed. I mean, yes, I would've grieved for the human life that had been lost in the process, but I would've known I'd done the right thing. But Kevin hadn't been possessed and so I felt really bad.**

**Sam opened the door of the car again. "Oregon. That's where we have to go."**

**I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that we needed to go. "How do you know?" I wasn't being difficult. Really, I wasn't. I just didn't want to go somewhere where so many things could go wrong. I mean, one, Dean was supposed to kill someone. And two, if this was about a demon, or the demon, we had no way to kill it.**

"**There was a picture of Crater Lake," Sam answered.**

"**Oh."**

**Sam, Dean, and I shared a look and then Dean and I got into the car. After Dean was situated, he started the car and we were off.**

"**Okay, so…what else did you see?" Dean asked.**

**Sam was massaging his head with shaky fingers. "I saw a dark room…some people…and a guy tied to a chair."**

**I got one of the bottles of water Dean had bought and opened it before handing it to Sam. He took it and began sipping it.**

"**And the guy, I ventilated him?" Dean asked skeptically.**

"**Yeah," Sam said between swallows. "You thought there was something inside him."**

"**A demon?" I asked from the backseat.**

"**I don't know."**

"**Well, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the yellow-eyed demon somehow," Dean said. "So, was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise him?"**

"**No. Nothing. You just plugged him, and that's it."**

**Dean took that in. "Well, I'm sure I had a good reason."**

"**I sure hope so," Sam said.**

"**What does that mean?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam before returning his gaze to the road.**

**Sam didn't answer, and I didn't say anything, either. I got where Sam was coming from, so I couldn't argue that point. Sam was thinking about Dean's violent streak that had developed since John had died. I mean, he'd never hurt me and I honestly didn't think he would. I wouldn't be with him if that was the case. But he did take out his problems with violence and it scared both of us.**

"**God, what is with you two? I'm not gonna waste an innocent man." Silence followed. "I wouldn't!"**

"**I never said you would!" Sam exclaimed.**

"**Fine."**

"**Fine," Sam copied. "Look, we don't know what it is. But whatever it is, that guy in the chair is a part of it. So, let's find him and see what's what."**

"**Fine," Dean seethed.**

"**Fine," Sam copied again.**

**I sighed. Everything was not fine and I wished they would stop saying that word.**

**------------- -**

**We stopped in Kansas that night. We still had a day's worth of driving to do, but apparently Dean was done for now.**

**After Dean rented out the room - they had new credit cards now - we drove around to park in front of it. Sam, Dean, and I got out, taking our stuff with us. When we got in our room we tossed the stuff on the beds and Dean moved back towards the door.**

"**Where're you goin', Dean?" Sam asked hesitantly.**

"**Out," he responded. He turned back to us. "Oh, but don't worry, I won't kill anyone while I'm gone."**

**Okay, he was pissed, and we deserved that, but it still hurt.**

**He slammed the door on the way out and I turned to Sam. "Wait here, I'll bring him back."**

**Sam nodded and I walked out. I saw Dean sitting in the car getting ready to start it, so I ran to get in with him.**

**When I shut the door, he glared over at me. "What?"**

"**Where are you going?" I asked neutrally.**

"**Out, I said. I want a beer."**

**I looked in the backseat. "You have beer."**

"**I want different beer."**

**I could tell he was trying very hard not to yell at me, and I probably should've taken the hint and gotten out of the car. But I'm stubborn so I didn't.**

"**Dean, I'm sorry," I whispered. "I never should have-"**

"**Don't," he interrupted harshly.**

"**No," I said, moving closer to him. "You need to hear this."**

"**What?" he said sarcastically. "What are you going to accuse me of now?"**

**I sighed. This wasn't going as smoothly as I'd imagined it would. Not that I blamed him. He'd totally been there for me these past couple of days and now that Dean needed me I'd basically shoved him away…or something like that.**

"**Dean…I don't think you'd kill someone if you didn't have to."**

"**Yeah, well, you sure don't act like it."**

"**I know, and I'm sorry. I think…I think I'm transferring my own stuff and it's not fair to you."**

"**You're right, it's not," he declared defensively.**

"**You're mad at me, I get it. But Dean…you're a good man, and I should've said it before. No matter what Sam's vision was, I know you wouldn't take an innocent man's life. I couldn't love you if you would."**

**Things got awkwardly quiet for a minute.**

"**So, um, if you still want that beer…I'll go back to the room."**

**He looked like he seemed to be contemplating it, but he didn't. He scooted into the middle of the front seat so that he was right beside me.**

"**I'm sorry I hurt you," I said.**

**He bit his lip and then grinned mischievously. "You know what'll make it better?"**

**I paused, considering. "No. What?"**

"**Kiss me," he commanded softly.**

**I smiled slightly before obeying.**

**I don't know if you can actually beg for forgiveness with a kiss, but that's what I was trying to do. Tell him I was sorry, that I didn't think he was a cold-blooded killer.**

**Before I knew it, I was straddling his lap, my legs on either side of his. His hands fell to my hips and he played with the waistband of my jeans.**

"**You do realize," I said breathlessly between kisses, "that we're in the front seat of your car…in a parking lot?"**

**He stopped moving for a second. ""Does that bother you?"**

**I thought about it briefly. "No," I grinned before kissing him again.**

* * *

Hey, people. Back with the episodes now. This was kind of a hard chapter to write since I've never actually killed anyone, but I tried to put myself in her place and put myself in her mindset and I figured this was how she would react. Um, so, yeah. Please review and thanks in advance if you do.


	21. Croatoan Pt Two

**Elm Treigh: Hey, I actually got the egg-healing thing from a book I bought about a year back that had the theory of Wicca and stuff in it. I've never actually practiced any of it, but I've always been interested in it. The book was by Jamie Wood. Um, anyway, I'm glad to know it worked, which is awesome, by the way. And no, I have no idea what La Cura is, but now I have something to look up in my spare time. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing, and please continue to do so, because it makes me happy. LOL**

**Croatoan  
Part Two**

**River Grove, Oregon. That's where we were. It had taken a while to get there, but now we were here.**

**Sam had gone into specifics earlier, and he thought we'd been in the doctor's office, so that's where we were headed.**

**We passed by a fish market and a canoe stand and then we were parking in front of the local doctor's office. It was a small town-surrounded by forest area on all sides- so it looked like it was more of a private practice where there's usually only one doctor, or maybe a family of doctors.**

**Anyway, we were gonna go talk to the doctor and see if we could subtly get her to enlighten us about Sam's vision. Ya know, without telling her about it. But Sam caught sight of an older black man. He was sitting in front of a bait shop putting together a fishing pole.**

"**He was there," Sam said, pointing towards him.**

**Dean looked in the guy's general direction and then back at me. "All right, well, Sam and I are gonna go talk to him and then we can go see the doctor."**

"**I can go talk to the doctor while you talk to him," I suggested.**

**Sam agreed. "Yeah, I mean, they're right across the street from each other."**

**It was true. The guy was sitting across the street from the Medical Clinic, only about fifteen feet away.**

**Dean hesitated and began digging around in his glove compartment, looking for his ID box. I knew what he was thinking about. When I'd been taken from Layla's house, he'd been right there downstairs. We hadn't technically been separated in the literal sense. Dean settled for the fake U.S. Marshall ones and handed one to Sam.**

**Finally, he agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Yeah, okay." He closed the ID box and tossed it back into the glove compartment. "We really need to get you some of those."**

**Sam and Dean got out of the car and began walking over to the guy at the bait shop. I watched as they showed their badges, making sure it was gonna work, before trying to get out of the car, myself.**

**Dean had aligned my door with a telephone pole, so I had to get out on the other side. I made sure nothing was coming before opening the door and getting out. After closing the door, I walked around the car and would have just gone into the clinic, but something about the pole made me stop and just blink for a second.**

**The word _CROATOAN_ had been carved into the wood. And, wow, if that didn't take me back to history class. The whole colony thing that disappeared almost overnight. And the only thing left behind was this word.**

**I hadn't much thought about it until now but, hey, it could be true. If you had asked me that before I'd met Sam and Dean, I probably would have just said it was coincidence or maybe someone had gotten their facts wrong.**

**But now I wasn't so sure. I mean, I'd seen stranger things.**

"**Hey," I heard Sam say, breaking me out of my thoughts.**

**I jumped slightly, surprised they were back already. "Hey." I pointed at the pole. "Does that say what I think it says?"**

"**Croatoan?" Dean said.**

**Oh. So it did say what I thought it said. "Yeah," I said. "So either it's a coincidence of we're in deep trouble."**

**Dean looked clueless and Sam looked shocked.**

"**Roanoke. Lost Colony," Sam said, trying to jog Dean's memory. It wasn't working. "Dean, did you pay any attention in history class?"**

"**Yeah," Dean said, sounding offended. "The shot heard 'round the world. How bills become laws…"**

"**That's not school! That's _Schoolhouse Rock_."**

**Dean took that in and shrugged. "Whatever."**

**School sucked, Dean had told me once. The first time I'd met him, actually, when he'd fixed my tire.**

"**Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America, late 1500's." Sam was beginning to go into lecture/rant mode. It was amusing to me that he seemed offended that Dean didn't remember this.**

**A look of realization came over Dean's face. "Yeah, yeah, I do remember that." He looked at the pole again with renewed interest. "The only thing they left behind was a single word carved on a tree."**

"**Croatoan," I said. "But what do you think happened to them?" I looked to Sam for that answer because something told me that, like me, Dean hadn't given it much thought until now.**

"**Well, there were theories," Sam said, placated now that Dean was following along. "Indian raid, disease. But nobody knows what really happened. They were all just gone. I mean, wiped out overnight."**

**Dean laughed, a little nervously. "You don't think that's what's going on here." He sounded like he was hoping anyway.**

"**I don't know. But whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good," Sam said. "But what do you think could do that?"**

"**Well," Dean said quietly, looking about for listening ears, "like I said, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the yellow-eyed demon somehow, so…"**

"**We should get help," Sam said, sighing. "Bobby? Uh, Ellen, maybe?"**

"**Yeah, that's a good idea," Dean agreed, taking out his phone. He looked at it for a second and lifted his arm up, moving it in different directions. I didn't know what he was doing. "I don't have a signal." Oh, well, that explained it.**

**Sam took out his phone and I took out mine. Dean looked at us and I shook my head, letting him know mine was gone too.**

**Sam looked confused. "I don't either."**

"**Okay, I don't like this, you guys. What can block reception like that?"**

**Neither guy said anything, but Dean saw a payphone and he went towards it. He put it up to his ear and then shook his head.**

"**Line's dead." He sighed, putting the phone back on the hook. "I'll tell you one thing…if I was gonna massacre a town, that'd be my first step."**

"**Screwing up all lines of communication," I said, nodding. "Smart. Bad…but smart. It means we can't call for any outside help." I bit my lip. Again, I didn't like this. I mean, what if it turned into a riot like that time they had the blackout in New York? People just about went crazy because of it.**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed. "So, what do we do now?"**

"**I think we should go find that guy you saw. I mean, we know where he lives so we should go talk to him, see if he can shed some light on the subject."**

**I assumed they'd gotten that bit of information from the guy they'd talked to. "You get a name?"**

"**Yeah, um, Duane Tanner," Sam answered.**

**So we got back in the car and drove in the direction of wherever we were going.**

**------------- -**

**When we pulled up to the Tanner house we found out that it was more of a fancy cabin than anything else. It had a wrap around porch, which was awesome because it added character to this place.**

**Anyway, this house had been about a mile away from town and it was pretty secluded. I guess they liked their privacy. Sam and Dean got out of the car - they were still masquerading as Marshall's, so I couldn't go with them. I mean, I was pretty sure _they_ were too young so I knew I was.**

**It was pretty chilly outside, but not freezing so I got out with them, and leaned on the car. I looked around because something felt not right. It was like the empty feeling, plus the chills, plus the cramps all piled into one.**

**They weren't overwhelming, exactly, but they weren't barely there, either.**

"**Something's wrong," I stated, and the guys looked at me. "I don't know what it is. I've never felt anything like this before."**

"**Do you have your gun on you?" Dean asked me, and I nodded. "Good. Stay here, and we'll be back in a minute. Something jumps out at you, shoot it."**

**Solid call, so I pulled it out, not really holding it at the ready, exactly, but holding it, nonetheless. Anyway, I had a jacket that had pockets in it, kinda like Dean's, only mine wasn't as thick, and it wasn't leather. It was made out of a more jean-y material.**

**I watched as they made their way to the porch and went up the steps. They knocked on the door and a boy around seventeen, maybe eighteen, opened it.**

**Dean held up his badge and said something. I couldn't hear what they were saying and it was starting to bug me.**

**The boy answered and they went back and forth like that for a while. Then he - the boy - looked behind him, inside, and an older man, I assumed it was his father, came to stand beside him at the door. Sam and Dean talked to them for about a minute and then they turned around to walk down the steps. When they reached the bottom, they glanced over my way and Dean nodded for me to come to them.**

**We walked to the far side of the house and stopped when we came to a window, which they had to duck under to get by and I didn't because I was short. We reached the back door and looked through the window there. What I saw sorta tripped me out for a second.**

**The two men that had been at the door were standing over a woman who was tied to a chair. They had a dishtowel tied in her mouth, and she seemed to be crying. I saw the older man get a knife off a nearby table and the younger man rolled up the sleeve of his shirt so he could be cut. He was holding his arm over the woman, as if he wanted the blood to fall on her.**

**Sam, Dean, and I looked at each other, silently agreeing we should stop this somehow.**

**Dean and Sam got their guns out and ready, and I cocked mine, too. Dean kicked the door in and we ran in. The older man ran towards us, knife raised, and before I knew it, three shots had been fired, all by Dean's gun.**

**The younger one ran towards the window and smashed through it. Sam and Dean went towards the window; I went towards the woman, thinking of untying her. I looked her over once and noticed she had a cut near the top of her shoulder, running down towards her elbow.**

"**Mrs. Tanner?" I said and she looked at me and the gun in my hand, terrified. I put the gun away. "Mrs. Tanner, my name is Alyson. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm here to help you."**

**I looked in Sam and Dean's direction. I assumed they had lost the boy, but that couldn't be fixed, so whatever.**

**Mrs. Tanner was shaking, slowly going into shock. "Hey, was that Duane?" I asked, more to take her mind off the here and now than anything else.**

**She shook her head, lost. "Duane wasn't here. I don't…I don't understand what's going on."**

**I saw Dean take a look around and his eyes fell on Mr. Tanner, the man he'd shot. He was already hardening himself to the fact that he'd killed someone. He hadn't had a choice, the man would have attacked us. But, God forbid he actually let us think it bothered him.**

**Anyway, I could take care of that later, right now I needed to focus on the broken and confused woman in front of me.**

**I knelt down in front of her, reaching for the rope that tied her down. "Hey, what's your name?" I asked gently, not wanting to scare her out of the stupor I was sure she falling into. "Mrs. Tanner?"**

**I didn't get an answer.**

"**All right," Dean said, apparently done waiting for Mrs. Tanner to wake up. "I'm gonna load Mr. Tanner into the car. You keep…doin' whatever you're doin'"**

**Dean threw Mr. Tanner over his shoulder and began for the door.**

"**Bring the first aid kit with you when you come back," I called after him, thinking about the cut on her shoulder.**

**Dean turned back. "Why? We're going to the clinic, aren't we?"**

"**Yes, but she's bleeding now, Dean," I replied sharply.**

**He nodded, turning back around, and I could've sworn I heard him say that I was being quite a bitch lately, but I wasn't sure so I didn't say anything to him.**

**Sam came over to help me untie her wrists and feet, replacing the gun he had, in his jeans.**

"**Hey, Sam?" I said, and he paused in what he was doing.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Aren't orgasms supposed to make men happy?"**

**Sam looked shocked that I'd asked that. And then he looked embarrassed. "Um…yeah, I guess. Why?"**

"**That doesn't seem to be working on Dean," I replied.**

"**Whoa, okay. I don't need to know that."**

**I smiled apologetically. "Sorry, it's just I have no one else to talk to about this…or anything else, really."**

**He shook his head and went back to getting the ropes off of Mrs. Tanner.**

**------------- -**

**Dean brought the first aid kit with him and I went to work on Mrs. Tanner's wound. I'd found a pair of scissors before Dean had come back in so I could cut her sleeve off.**

**I cleaned the cut out, which brought her a little out of shock.**

"**Duane?" She said, distracted. "Is he back?"**

"**Duane…is that your son?" She nodded, but I'd figured that much so it didn't faze me much. "What's your name?"**

"**B-Beverly," she said, stuttering. "Beverly Tanner."**

"**Beverly? I'm Alyson." I'd told her before, but I didn't know if she remembered. "I'm gonna clean your wound as best as I can, but we're gonna take you to the clinic, okay? Get you checked out."**

**She nodded again. At least she was responding now.**

**------------- -**

**After I'd patched Beverly up - I'd stopped the bleeding and put gauze on the cut - we headed for the River Grove Medical Clinic. We were pulling up to it now, actually.**

**Beverly hadn't said much on the way there. She'd mostly just cried. I got it. I mean, her life had been totally turned upside down. Duane, one of her sons, was missing - supposedly he was fishing -, her husband was dead because Dean had shot him, and Jake, her other son, had run off. Jake and her husband had had her bound to a chair when we'd found her, and we still didn't know what that was about.**

**Sam and Dean were in the front; Beverly and I were in the back. When the car went into park, I got out to help Beverly into the clinic. I would let Sam and Dean deal with the body of Mr. Tanner, which was in the trunk.**

**When we got into the waiting room, we passed by a coffee machine and a bunch of red seats where the patients would have been seated, but there was no one here.**

"**Hello?" I called out. "Is anybody here?"**

**A young woman, maybe around twenty-five, came out and her eyes fell on Beverly. The woman had blond hair and blue eyes.**

"**Mrs. Tanner, what happened?"**

"**She was attacked," I answered. "We found her and decided to bring her here."**

"**We?"**

"**Yeah, um, they're outside. They'll be in in a minute." I realized that she was a nametag pinned to her lab coat. Pamela. "Pamela, is the doctor in?"**

"**Yeah, hold on." She went back in the room she came out of, and the next time she came out she had the doctor with her. Dr. Lee, her nametag said.**

"**Bring her in," the doctor said, so I led Mrs. Tanner to the back room.**

**I heard the door to the actual place open and looked back for a second, seeing Dean come into the clinic. He had Mr. Tanner wrapped around his shoulders, or the body of Mr. Tanner anyway.**

**Sam and I locked eyes for a second - he had been behind Dean - and he went past Dean, Dr. Lee, and Pamela to follow me into the back room, which I now realized was the examination room.**

**I heard Dean and Dr. Lee discussing what had happened. Dean explained that Mr. Tanner had attacked us and got himself shot. And he was still using that U.S. Marshall story.**

**I saw Pamela come into the examination room and she took Beverly from my care, leading her to the examination table.**

"**Just have a seat there and Dr. Lee will have a look at you in a minute."**

**Beverly - I don't know why I kept callin her that, because usually I called older people by their last name - listened to Pamela but she didn't say anything.**

**Dr. Lee walked in, Dean behind her. I didn't know what he'd done with Mr. Tanner's body, I was just thankful Beverly hadn't had to see it again.**

"**What happened?" Dr. Lee asked gently.**

**Beverly didn't say anything. Either she was going into shock again or she just didn't want to talk about it. So I stepped forward toward the table she was on. I would talk for her.**

"**I don't know much," I said. "We got there near the end of it." I looked at Sam and Dean. Sam looked sorry for the woman; Dean seemed detached.**

"**We saw her husband and Jake standing over her. They were -"**

"**Wait, you said Jake was there." She looked at Beverly. "Your son Jake?"**

**Beverly nodded. "They beat me…tied me up." She was whispering. I could barely hear her and I was standing next to her.**

"**I don't believe it," Pamela, who was standing beside the sink-counter thing where all the medical supplies were held, said. Pamela wasn't saying she didn't believe the story itself; she was saying she didn't believe they could do something like that. She'd probably known these people her whole life.**

"**Duane," Beverly suddenly said. "My son. I need to find my son."**

"**Hey," I said gently, stepping in front of her, and leaning down so I would be eye-level with her. "We'll find your son, okay? We will. But we need to make sure you're okay, all right?"**

**She swallowed and nodded, accepting my answer, but I heard Dean clear his throat. I could tell just by the way he did it that he didn't agree with that I'd just said.**

**I looked back at him and _dared_ him to challenge what I'd told her. I didn't know why I was being so protective of this woman. I mean, I didn't know her at all, but I'd let myself become attached and I knew that wasn't a good thing. Attachment to people could get them hurt, especially when I was in the equation.**

**Dean looked away from my glare and clenched his jaw, not saying a word.**

"**Beverly," Dr. Lee started, and I moved aside, grabbing her hand and I smiled slightly when I felt her squeeze it. "Do you have any idea why they would act like this? Any history of chemical dependency?"**

"**No, of course not." Beverly was talking louder now, but she was also starting to sob. "I don't know why. One minute, they were my husband and my son. And the next…they had the devil in them."**

**I looked back at the guys again. They both nodded out the door and I got the message. I figured the best way to help Beverly was to find out what was really going on, so I needed to go talk to them.**

"**Beverly." She focused on me. "You know those two guys that helped you earlier?" She nodded. "I have to go talk to them for a second, but I'll be back, okay?" She didn't let go of my hand. "I'll be right back. I promise." I gently pried her hand away from mine.**

**When I got to Sam and Dean, who were out in the waiting room, I heard Dean say, "those guys were whacked out of their gourds." Meaning they were _crazy_.**

"**So what do you think happened?" I asked because I didn't know. "I mean, I've been feeling weird since we got to the Tanner house." I hadn't realized until just then. I assumed my worry and compassion for Beverly had overrode it.**

"**Multiple demons," Sam suggested. "Mass possession."**

"**If it is possession, there could be more," Dean said. "God knows how many. It could be like a freakin' Shriner Convention."**

"**Great," Sam said sarcastically.**

" '**Course that's one way to wipe out a town. You take it from the inside."**

"**I don't know, you guys," I said. "It didn't feel like they were demons, or not any demons we've come across. And there wasn't any black smoke or weird colored eyes." I looked at Dean. "And don't take this the wrong way, but Mr. Tanner is dead now, and a demon wouldn't have died from that."**

"**Well, whatever," Dean said. "I mean, something turned him into a monster." He looked at Sam now. "And, ya know, if you would've taken out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."**

"**I'm sorry, all right?" Sam said, annoyed. "I hesitated, Dean, it was a kid."**

"**No, it was an _it_. Not the best time for a bleedin' heart, Sam."**

"**Dean, back off," I said sharply. "I mean, do you want him to think it's easy to kill someone? Because I thought you said he didn't have it in him to kill someone." He'd said that when we'd met Andy, the mind-control guy. "And now you're getting pissed because he _wouldn't_ kill someone?"**

"**No, I -" Dean broke off, clenching his jaw again.**

**Sam and I were standing on one side, Dean on the other. The gap between us was physical, I could feel it. Sam grabbed my arm. It felt like he was preparing me for whatever Dean was gonna say. But the thing is, I don't think he was gonna say anything, but for some reason, Sam's hand on my arm seemed to piss him off even more.**

**It couldn't be because he was jealous, could it? I mean, I thought I'd covered that subject already. And, come on, it was _Sam_. He didn't feel that way about me, and even if he had…I was Dean's girl, and Sam knew that.**

"**Whatever," Dean said. "Anyway, what's with you and the patient? You can't just go and promise someone that we'll find their son. What if we can't? You shouldn't get too attached, anyway."**

"**Well," I started. "I'm sorry, Dean." I hated the sound of my voice right then. It was cold. No, it was worse; it was acidic. "I look at her and I see someone who is lost and confused. Someone who needs help. And you may be able to block everything out, but I can't. You may be able to pretend that killing a man doesn't bother you, but I can't. Why would I want to?"**

**I was vaguely aware of tears stinging behind my eyes, but I didn't try to keep them at bay. Let them fall, let him see I was hurting.**

"**Dean. Humans _feel_, it's what they do, okay?"**

**My throat felt constricted and it burned and I felt like letting a huge sob out, but then I didn't want to because Sam was closest to me now and I knew he'd be the one I would reach for. He was the one that wasn't being a detached jerk right now. But I didn't want to hurt Dean anymore than I already had by saying what I had.**

**But, anyway, the fire that had been in Dean's eyes had died pretty much at the sight of me trying to hold it together.**

**Dr. Lee came out of the room and Sam spoke first. "How's the patient?"**

"**Terrible," she answered. She was talking about emotionally, not physically. "What the hell happened out there?"**

**Dean turned to face her. "We don't know," he said honestly.**

"**Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor." If you can call living a mile away from each other next door, then she was right.**

"**We didn't have a choice," Dean replied defensively.**

"**Maybe so, but we need the county sheriff. I need the coroner."**

"**Phones are down," Sam informed her.**

"**Yeah, I know. I tried. Tell me you've got a police radio in the car." She sounded hopeful.**

"**Yeah, we do. But it crapped out just like everything else." Hm. They must have checked that out as I was bringing Beverly into the clinic.**

**Dr. Lee sighed. "I don't understand what is happening." She didn't sound like she was freaking out, though, so that was good.**

"**How far is it to the next town?" Dean asked.**

"**Uh, it's about forty miles down to Sidewinder."**

"**All right, I'm gonna go down there and see if I can find some help." Dean looked at me and Sam. "These two will stick around…keep you guys safe."**

"**Safe from what?" Dr. Lee asked.**

"**We'll get back to you on that."**

**Dean began walking towards the door until I called his name. He looked back at me and unspoken words settled between us. He was sorry, I was sorry, and I wanted him to be careful.**

**Neither of us actually had to say the words, we just knew what wasn't being said. And he gave a slight nod before continuing out the door.**

**------------- -**

**It had been forty-five minutes since Dean had left and, depending on the speed-limit, he was probably in or near Sidewinder.**

**Sam, Dr. Lee, and I were in the autopsy room. Dr. Lee had taken a blood sample, which she was now running tests on, from Mr. Tanner's body.**

"**Huh," she said, more to herself than to anyone else.**

"**What?" Sam asked.**

"**His lymphocyte percentage is pretty high. His body was fighting off a viral infection."**

"**Really?" Sam wondered. "What kind of virus?"**

"**Can't say for sure."**

"**Could that have made him attack Beverly? I mean, do you think an infection could have made him act like that?" I was just thinking that if that's what had caused it, then Jake had it, too.**

**Dr. Lee shook her head. "None that I've ever heard of. I mean, some can cause dementia, but not this kind of violence. And besides, I've never even heard of one that did this to the blood."**

"**Did what?" Sam asked.**

"**There's this…weird residue. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was sulfur."**

"**Sulfur?" I asked, and she nodded. "And nothing you've ever heard of leaves sulfur in the bloodstream?"**

"**No," she answered.**

**I looked at Sam and I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was. Demon.**

"**And this virus, how'd they get it?" I asked. "I mean, how would they pass it along? By blood?"**

"**Bodily fluids, yeah," the doctor answered. "Why?"**

**I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Because Jake bled on Beverly." I looked from Sam to the doctor. "So maybe they were trying to pass it on to her."**

**Sam huffed a humorless laugh. "And maybe they succeeded."**

"**Well, we have to make sure."**

**They agreed and we went back to the examination room, where Beverly was still seated on the table.**

**Dr. Lee was the one who explained about the lymphocytes, or more commonly called white blood cells, and what she thought had happened.**

"**I don't understand," Beverly said. "Are you saying my husband and Jake h-had a disease?"**

"**That's what we're trying to find out. Now, during the attack, do you remember…did you have any direct contact with their blood?"**

**Realization crossed over Beverly's face. "Oh my God. You don't think I've got this virus, do you?"**

**Dr. Lee sighed, confused. "Beverly, I don't know what to think. But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample."**

**Beverly hesitated for a second before smiling at the doctor and grabbing her hand. Then Beverly changed, like, a split-second change. She jumped off the table and began screaming in rage, it sounded like. She hit Dr. Lee, knocking her into me, and we both went crashing to the floor.**

**I saw her throw Sam into a metal cabinet with glass doors. I mean, she actually _picked him up and threw him_. Sam seemed just as shocked as I was, Probably more since he's the one it happened to. And he had a good sixty or seventy pounds on this woman, and she'd thrown him like it was nothing. So whatever this virus was, it made you strong…super strong.**

**Beverly picked up a scalpel and ran at Sam, but before she could stab him - or whatever she was gonna do - Sam picked up an oxygen tank from the cabinet he'd been thrown into and hit her with it, knocking her down and out.**

**------------- -**

**Sam and I had put Beverly in a room by herself. We'd made sure there wasn't anything she could hurt herself with and then we'd locked her in.**

**When we got back to the examination room, Dr. Lee was telling Pamela about what had happened to Beverly. Sam and I stayed on the other side of the room, talking quietly amongst ourselves.**

"**Well, I think what just happened with Mrs. Tanner is probably why you've been feeling all that stuff since we got to her house. She was infected, too."**

"**Yeah," I said softly, sadly.**

"**Hey, we're not gonna kill her unless we have to," Sam reassured me.**

"**What if we all have it?" I heard Pamela said. "What if we all go crazy?"**

**I looked in her direction. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. She was panicking and the way she was standing made it look like her arms were holding her together, keeping her from falling apart completely.**

"**We don't all have it," I said. "The only way it can be passed on is by exchanging bodily fluids."**

"**She's right," the doctor agreed. "We've gotta stay calm. All we can do is wait. The Marshall's bringing help."**

**I looked at my watch. Dean had been gone for two hours, give or take a couple minutes, so he should be back any minute.**

"**No, my boyfriend is out there," Pamela said, going towards the waiting room and, ultimately, the exit of the clinic. "I gotta make sure he's okay."**

**Sam and I followed her and I grabbed her gently to turn her around. I half-expected her to yank her arm back, but she didn't.**

"**_Don't_ got out there," I demanded. "You're safer here." She looked skeptical, and…point taken. I mean, Beverly was here. "Honestly," I said. "If I'm right about this, the whole town is gonna be affected somehow. You _are_ safer here. With us."**

**I heard the Impala pull up and Sam went to unlock the entrance to the clinic.**

**Dean came in with the black guy he and Sam had talked to earlier. Since I was pretty sure Pamela was going to stay now, I went over to Dean and Sam.**

"**I take it you didn't find a phone," I said.**

**Dean shook his head then he ushered the black guy away. The guy went to the examination room, probably looking for Dr. Lee.**

"**What's goin' on out there, Dean?" Sam asked, looking out of the glass door, and locking it again.**

"**Man, I don't know. I feel like Chuck Heston in _The Omega Man_. Sarge was the only sane person I could find. What are we dealin' with, do you know?"**

"**Yeah," Sam answered. "Doc thinks it's a virus."**

**Dean nodded. "Okay, great. What do you think?"**

"**I think she's right."**

"**Really?" Dean didn't sound skeptical, but he did sound surprised.**

"**Yeah," Sam said. "And I think the infected are trying to infect others with blood-to-blood contact."**

**I picked up where Sam left off. "Dr. Lee took a blood sample from Mr. Tanner. There was sulfur in it. She said it was like a residue."**

"**A demonic virus?" Again Dean didn't sound skeptical, he just sounded like he hadn't heard of _that_ before.**

"**Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare," Sam said. "At least that explains why I've been having visions."**

**Dean sighed, frustrated. "It's like a biblical plague."**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed. "You don't know how right you are, Dean. I've been poring through Dad's journal." He must have been doing that while I'd been with Beverly because I hadn't see him do it. "I found something about the Roanoke colony."**

"**And?" Dean prompted.**

"**Dad always had a theory about Croatoan. He thought it a demon's name - sometimes known as Dever or Reshef. A demon of plague and pestilence."**

"**Well, that's terrific," Dean snarked.**

"**Why is it happening?" I asked.**

"**I have no idea," Sam said. "But…who knows how far this thing can spread."**

"**And we're stuck here," Dean replied.**

"**What'd you mean?"**

"**Oh, um, all exits out of town are blocked by the infected, or whatever."**

"**Well, if this thing goes unchecked, it could spread everywhere," I said, answering Sam's earlier question.**

"**They've got one!" I heard Sarge call out. "In here."**

**Dean looked at us, confused, before following the sound of the guy's voice. "What'd you mean?"**

"**Beverly," I whispered, following Dean. "She's infected."**

"**We've gotta take care of this," the Sarge said. "We can't just leave her in there. My neighbors…they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get."**

**Everyone in the room took that in. Everyone being me, Dean, Sam, Pamela, and Dr. Lee. And Sarge, of course, but he was the one talking, so he didn't count.**

"**Wait," Pamela said, panicking again. "You're gonna _kill_ Beverly Tanner? Is that what you meant by _taking care of it_?"**

**Dean took out a gun and cocked it, heading for the utility room where Beverly had been locked in by me and Sam.**

"**Dean, wait," I said, and then turned to the doctor. "Can you cure it? Is it possible?" The doctor had a-deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. "I mean, no pressure or anything, but…can you?"**

"**For God's sake, I don't even know what _it_ is!" she half-way yelled. Now _she_ was freaking out.**

**Sarge had a rifle with him - I'd only just noticed it, which goes to show you how dire this situation was. I mean, how do you miss a big ol' gun like that?**

"**Look, it's only a matter of time before she breaks through." Sarge had the rifle trained on the utility room, like maybe he thought Beverly was gonna break through right this second.**

"**Just leave her there," Pamela exclaimed. "You can't just shoot her like an animal."**

**Dean exchanged glances with me and Sam, and then continued on to the utility room door. Sam, Sarge, and I followed him. Sam took out his gun, I took out mine. Yes, I felt for the woman, but I wasn't stupid; I saw what she'd done to Sam earlier, how strong she was.**

**Sarge took out a smaller gun, it was about as big as mine, and held it at the ready. All four of us who were at the door nodded at each other and then Sam opened the door.**

**Beverly was sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room. She had her knees drawn up and her arms were wrapped around them.**

"**Mark, what are you doing?" She was talking to the Sarge, I assumed. "Mark, it's them," she said frantically. "They locked me in here, they tried to kill me. They're infected, not me!"**

**Okay, so, yes, we had locked her in here, but that was only because she'd flipped out and attacked us.**

"**Please, Mark! You've known me all your life. Please!"**

**None of us fired; we were all hesitating.**

"**Are you sure she's one of 'em?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah," both Sam and I answered.**

**That was all it took for Dean to react. He stepped forward, and since I knew what he was gonna do, I turned away and covered my ears. I heard three shots fired and I jumped each time, knowing who Dean had been aiming for.**

**His words from about a week back came to my mind about how he thought I was innocent, untainted. I didn't understand his meaning until now. He'd said it was because hunting had changed him and Sam, and it hadn't gotten its grip on me yet.**

**I still let things get to me, maybe that's the kind of innocence he'd been talking about. But I'm sorry, I couldn't just kill someone like that and then _pretend _like it didn't bother me. It just wasn't in me to do that.**

**------------- -**

**It was nighttime now. We'd been at the clinic most of the day and now it was dark. I'd been dealing with those weird feelings all day and they didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.**

**Sam, Dean, and I were in the waiting room sitting on the red chairs. Nothing had been said for a while and I jumped a little when Dean started talking.**

"**I had to do that," he said. I knew he was referring to Beverly. "You know that, right?"**

**I nodded slightly. "I do know that. I mean, I was here earlier. I saw what she did. And like Dr. Lee said, we don't know what it is, and we can't even begin to cure it if we don't know what it is. And how do you cure a demonic virus anyway?"**

**Anyway, before it had gotten dark Sam, Dean, and I had gotten all the weapons out of the car. Not all of them would be useful in this case, but at least none of the others would be able to steal them and use them on _us_.**

"**You know what would be awesome right now?" I whispered to my two guys. Sam was messing with a knife; Dean was messing with a shotgun, loading it. They both paused. "Having one of my explosion episodes…at least we'd know who was infected within in the general area anyway."**

**Dean smirked slightly. "It would make our job a hell of a lot easier."**

**I got up from my seat and sighed. I was tired…but I felt restless, too, probably from my weirdar going off all day. I went to the blinds on one of the windows and looked out, lifting a solitary line of it with a finger.**

**Three people wee standing across the street just looking at the clinic. That was fairly creepy.**

"**They're waiting for us to come outside," I said to Sam and Dean. They gave each other worried glances before going back to their weapons.**

**I heard a small crash come from the examination room and the three of us rushed in. The doctor, Sarge, and Pamela were there.**

"**Oh, God! Is there any on me? Am I okay?" Pamela panicked. There was blood on the floor below her, she must have dropped it.**

**I gave her a quick once-over. She was clean, it looked like. The doctor told her the same.**

"**Why are we staying here?" Pamela asked. "Please, let's juts go."**

"**No, we can't, 'cause those things are everywhere," Dean said.**

**I was looking at the blood on the floor and a sudden thought occurred to me. It was an idea, I didn't know if it was a good idea and I knew the guys would hate it, but I went with it anyway.**

"**Dr. Lee, do you have any more blood samples? Or can you get more?"**

"**Yeah," she answered, looking at me. "Why?"**

**I took a deep breath but didn't answer right away. "If you had a possible cure, could you test that here?"**

"**If it's simple enough, yeah."**

**I nodded. "Then I need to talk to you for a second," I said, motioning for her, Sam, and Dean to follow me.**

**Dean gave me a 'what the hell are you doing' expression before following me out into the waiting room again.**

"**Look," I said to the doctor, "Don't ask questions, because I can't answer them. But you need to take a blood sample from me and mix it with the infected blood."**

"**To do what?"**

"**Use it as a cure. I mean, it might not work, but it's worth a shot."**

"**I don't understand," Dr. Lee said. "How is that gonna help?"**

**I sighed, going to pick up a knife out of the bunch we'd brought in from the car. I pulled up the sleeve of my jacket and brought the knife to my arm, much like Jake had when he'd been standing over Beverly.**

"**It's gonna help because of this." I applied enough pressure to break skin and winced. I saw blood fall to the floor.**

"**What're you -" the doctor started, and then I dropped the knife back to where it had been before. I wiped the blood away with my hand and showed her that the cut had disappeared.**

**She walked over to me and grabbed my arm examining it. "How'd you do that?"**

**I shrugged. "I don't know. Just take my blood, and see if it works. Oh, and I trust you not to say a word about this to anyone whether it works or not."**

**Dr. Lee nodded, but she still seemed to be fascinated by my healing power. She blinked and then let go of my arm and went back into the examination room.**

"**Are you insane?" Dean hissed. "You're risking people finding out about you because of this?"**

"**If it can help save lives then, yeah, I am. Because I think it's worth it."**

**Dean shook his head. "No, see, if the wrong people find out about you, they would take you away and turn you into some lab rat." He paused. "They'd take you away," he repeated.**

**They'd take me away from _him_, is what he was trying to say.**

**I went towards him and hugged him, loosely at first, and then more firmly. "No one's taking me anywhere. But I have to do this."**

"**Right," Dean said softly. He still didn't agree, but he understood. Sam was on the same boat, it looked like. But if the positions had been switched and one of them had had the ability to heal, they would've done the same thing. I knew it.**

**About a minute later, Dr. Lee came out with a syringe to draw my blood with. Ew. I didn't like needles, never have, never will. She used the wet gauzy stuff to clean a spot on the crook of my arm and then the needle was going in and then I felt a pinch. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the blood being taken. After about fifteen seconds I felt another pinch and I knew it was over.**

"**Okay," the doctor said. "Depending on whether this works or not, I may need more later."**

**I nodded. She'd taken only a tube of blood, which in and of itself wasn't bad, but I hadn't eaten anything all day, and I had been tired all day. Add to that my weird feelings and I got light-headed. Luckily, I was already seated because I had the biggest dizziest spell of my life. That I could remember, anyway.**

* * *

So, obviously, I've updated again. Enjoy! and click the little review button to leave one. Thanks.


	22. Croatoan Pt Three

**Croatoan  
Part Three**

**So…turns out my blood did help. The doctor couldn't explain it, I couldn't explain it…but when my blood touched the sulfur, it was like it totally eliminated it. And it was the weirdest thing, but it worked on both Beverly's and Mr. Tanner's blood, and neither of their blood types matched mine.**

"**Ya know, Pamela was right about one thing," Sam said suddenly. "We can't stay here. We've gotta get out of here…get to the Roadhouse, somewhere. Let people know what's coming."**

"**Yeah, that's a good point," Dean agreed. "I mean, _Night of the Living Dead_ didn't exactly end pretty."**

**Sam, Dean, and I were seated on the floor with the weapons around us. All the guns were loaded; it looked like we were going to war, and I guess in a way, we were.**

**Anyway, Sarge had been standing near one of the windows and had been listening to our conversation.**

"**I'm not sure we've got a choice but to stay here. I mean, lots of folks up here are good with rifles. Even with all your hardware, we're easy targets. So, unless you've got some explosives or…" he trailed off hopelessly.**

**A look came over Sam's face, it was a concentration look. "What?" Dean asked.**

"**We could make some."**

"**Explosives?" I wondered. Hm, it was possible. I'm sure there was something flammable around here. Alcohol or something.**

**Sam got up - I don't see how he had the strength to, because I was dog-tired - and went into the examination room and came back out with a bottle of potassium chlorate. I knew you used that for fireworks and such…that would work, definitely.**

**Suddenly I heard someone banging on the door to the clinic, shouting, "hey, let me in! Let me in, please!"**

"**It's Duane Tanner!" Sarge said, and went to unlock the door to let him in.**

"**Oh, thank God," Duane said, rushing in.**

"**Duane, you okay?"**

**He nodded. "Who else is in here?" His eyes fell on us and the weapons, and he seemed confused. And even though I was tired, I stood up. This was the guy from Sam's vision, the one Dean was supposed to kill. Dean stood up too.**

"**How'd you get in here?" I asked. "Why'd they let you in?" I was referring to the people who'd been watching the clinic for the past hour or so.**

"**Maybe they don't care who gets in. They just don't want anyone getting out," Sarge said.**

"**What are you _talking_ about?" Duane asked breathlessly. "Who are you?" he asked me.**

"**Never mind who she is," Dean said. He moved towards him, gun in hand. "You're gonna let the doctor give you a good once-over."**

**Dean led him to the examination room where Pamela and Dr. Lee were.**

"**Duane, where you been?" Sarge asked.**

"**I was on a fishing trip up by Roseland. I came back this afternoon. I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know. They started cutting him with knives! I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since." He looked at the doctor and then back at Sarge. "Has anybody seen my mom and dad?"**

**Dean looked at Sam. "Awkward," he said lowly.**

**I watched as Dr. Lee put on her rubber gloves and began looking over Duane. His upper body was fine, but he had a cut on the side of his left calf.**

"**Where'd you get that?" Dean asked.**

"**I was running," Duane shrugged. "I must've tripped." He was being too calm, too nonchalant.**

"**Tie him up," Dean directed at the Sarge. "There's rope in my bag."**

**Duane stood up. "What?"**

"**Sit down," Dean yelled, raising his gun.**

"**Sorry, Duane, he's right. We've gotta be careful." Sarge sounded sympathetic, really, but he knew it was right.**

"**Careful? About what?" Duane was confused, but he listened to Dean and sat down anyway.**

"**Did they bleed on you?" Dean asked calmly.**

"**No, what the hell! No."**

**I watched as Sarge walked out to get the rope, probably. And then I looked at Duane again, scrutinizing him. Something seemed off about him, but I couldn't tell what. I wasn't getting anything from him, but then again, my senses were already filled from everything else.**

"**Doc, is there any way to know for sure? Any tests?" Sam asked.**

**Dr. Lee shook her head. "I've studied Beverly's blood work backwards and forwards."**

"**My mom?" Duane asked.**

**Dr. Lee looked at him sympathetically and then back at us. "It took three hours for the virus to incubate. Sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so…no, there'd be no way of knowing. Not until after Duane…turns."**

"**And, um, the cure?" I suggested. "Can't you just give it to him, in case?"**

"**I don't know what it'll do to him. I mean, I've only tested it on the victims. They weren't alive and he is."**

"**Oh." I sighed. "Never mind, then."**

"**Dean," Sam spoke up. "I've gotta talk to you. Now."**

**Dean still had his gun pointed at Duane, but he reluctantly followed Sam out, and I then followed Dean. Sarge passed by me as I was going out the door; he had the rope in his hands. I went through another doorway, and we were back in the waiting room.**

"**This is my vision, Dean. It's happening."**

"**Yeah, I figured."**

"**You can't kill him, all right?" Sam said quickly. "Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not."**

"**Oh, I think we're pretty damn sure," Dean said confidently. "Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected."**

"**Okay," I said. "Those are all valid points. But what if he's not infected? We should wait and-"**

"**For what?" Dean interrupted. "For him to hulk out? Infect somebody else? No thanks, can't take that chance." He moved to go around Sam, but Sam stopped him. "Hey, look, I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that."**

"**It's supposed to be tough, Dean! We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point."**

"**And what does that buy us?"**

"**A clear conscience, for one," Sam said obviously.**

"**Yeah, well, it's too late for that."**

**Dean went to go around him again, but Sam stopped him again.**

"**What the hell has happened to you? You might kill an innocent man, and you don't even care! You don't act like yourself anymore, Dean. Hell, you know what? You're acting like one of those things out there."**

"**Hm."**

**This time when Sam tried to keep him from moving, Dean pushed him away and went through the door anyway. And he locked it.**

"**Hey!" Sam yelled, trying the knob. "Open the damn door. Dean! Don't do it, Dean!"**

**There was one of those little-little windows on the locked door, and I saw that Dean had gone into the other room. He'd shut that door, too.**

**The window was one of those that was hard to break because it was so thick but we tried anyway.**

**So we couldn't open the door and we couldn't break the window. All we could do was wait. Which wasn't that bad, actually, because Dean came back out a few minutes later.**

**There hadn't been a gunshot, so that meant Duane was still alive. Dean hadn't killed him. Sam's words must have gotten to him. Or maybe his conscience had finally caught up to him.**

**------------- -**

**Sam, Dean, and I were back in the waiting room. We'd left Duane tied up and then we'd gotten a bunch of flammable stuff from the dispensary. Among the stuff was rubbing alcohol and sulfuric acid, and hydrogen peroxide. I didn't think the last one was flammable by itself, but it probably would be if you mixed it with something. Although supposedly hydrogen peroxide was used in rocket fuel, so maybe it was flammable. We'd find out, I guess.**

**That's what they were doing, mixing different stuff…having fun with chemistry, without the actual fun. I was hoping they didn't do something wrong that would make the clinic blow up.**

**While they were doing that, I was laying on the floor; it was carpeted, so it wasn't that bad, and I had a few sheets and lab coats to lay on and cover up with. I was just dozing off when Dr. Lee came out. She seemed a little hesitant, but she started speaking anyway.**

"**It's been over four hours. Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected." She looked from Sam to Dean. "I'd like to untie him, if that's all right."**

**Then Sam and Dean exchanged a look and I couldn't see Dean's face since his back was to me, but I could tell they were each making sure that it was okay with the other.**

**Apparently, they thought it was okay, because Sam told the doctor to go ahead. So she left to do just that.**

**Sam continued looking at Dean as Dean went back to work. "You know I'm gonna ask you why."**

"**Yeah, I know."**

"**So, why? Why didn't you do it?"**

**Dean didn't say anything about it, but he did pause in what he was doing. Dean cleared his throat the way he does when he's feeling uncomfortable because he doesn't wanna say something. Even though he knows he should.**

"**We need more alcohol," he evaded.**

**I heard Sam sigh - it was somewhere between frustrated and disappointed - and then he got up from his seat and went towards the dispensary.**

**Dean didn't have to say why he hadn't killed Duane, because I understood. It wasn't just what Sam had said, although that was a big part of it. Dean didn't wanna become something that he, himself, would hunt.**

**I mean, he'd known that killing someone without knowing for sure if they were actually infected would've been wrong, and he never would've forgiven himself if he'd done it.**

**I heard the door to the dispensary close and it clicked, locked. Hm, that was weird. Why would Sam do that?**

**Suddenly, I heard someone screaming. It wasn't Sam, it was a female. Dean got up from his seat quickly and went towards the locked door.**

**I was on my feet before Dean had even kicked the door open. I'd caught my second wind, I guess you could say.**

**When Dean got the door open, I saw that Pamela was on top of Sam, who was on the floor. Pamela was infected, it seemed, and oh God. She was cutting into Sam with a scalpel. The blood from earlier must've gotten in her system after all.**

**Dean got his gun out, but before he could shoot her, Pamela had cut her hand and mixed her blood with Sam's.**

**Then three shots fired and hit Pamela in the back. She fell sideways off of Sam and onto the floor.**

**Hearing the gunshots, Sarge came into the room, probably wondering what was going on. He took in Pamela's prone body, which was still half-way on Sam.**

"**What happened?" he asked.**

"**Pamela attacked him," I said. "She bled on him."**

**Sam was still on the floor, breathing heavily. I went forward and was gonna help him up, but Sarge grabbed me.**

"**If she bled on him…he's got the virus."**

**I gave him a _duh_ look and then shrugged him off. Rude, yes, but considering we were all probably gonna die anyway, I couldn't bring myself to care.**

**Dean didn't seem to care, either, since he'd moved forward to help him up. Sam seemed to be stunned, like it had just occurred to him that he was now infected.**

**Dean and I helped him up, and I caught Dean's gaze, but he looked away quickly.**

"**Come on, Sam," I said. "Let's get you to Dr. Lee."**

"**I'm infected," he said, whispering. "I've got the virus."**

**I saw Dean slip Sam's gun out of Sam's jeans and replace it in his own. I knew it was more to keep Sam from using it on himself than on us.**

**We led Sam to the examination room and he sat on the table. He wasn't saying anything; he just looked lost.**

**I would've told him it was gonna be okay, that _he _was gonna be okay…but he knew he wasn't gonna be, and I didn't believe in false comfort anyway.**

**We explained what had happened, to Dr. Lee and she looked sympathetic, but that was about it. There was nothing she could do.**

**I was the one who checked over Sam's cut. It was right over his collar bone, going down diagonally for about four inches. I cleaned the blood off and he was left with a swollen, angry looking wound.**

"**Sam, I'm sorry," I said. I was whispering to him, but I knew he heard me.**

"**Did her blood actually enter your wound?" the doctor asked Sam.**

"**Come on, of course it did!" Sarge shouted.**

"**We don't know that for sure," Dean countered just as loudly.**

"**We can't take a chance!" Duane pointed out.**

"**You know what we have to do," Sarge said.**

"**Nobody is shootin' my brother," Dean replied firmly.**

"**He's not gonna be your brother much longer," Duane said. "You said it yourself earlier…the virus makes you violent and insane."**

"**Nobody's shooting anyone."**

"**You were gonna shoot me!" Duane declared.**

**And this yelling back and forth wasn't getting us anywhere. "Stop it!" I shouted. "Everybody just shut up. Arguing isn't helping." I took a calming breath in, and let it out slowly. "Now, if you will all think rationally for a minute, maybe we can talk about this like adults, and not trigger-happy hicks."**

**I was mostly talking to Sarge because he was the one who had the gun, aside from Dean and myself.**

"**Now, nobody's killing anybody, okay? And if one of you tries, _we_ will stop you. We just need to-"**

"**Alyson, they're right," Sam interrupted. "I'm infected." I looked at him, surprised and maybe a little scared about what he was implying. "Just give me a gun and I'll do it myself."**

"**Forget it," Dean said.**

"**Dean, I'm not gonna become one of those things."**

"**Sam, we've still got time-"**

"**Time for what?" Sarge cut him off. "Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry. I am." He pointed his gun at Sam. "But I've gotta take care of this."**

**I had my gun out and pointed at him before he'd even finished talking. Dean looked kinda surprised when I placed myself in front of Sam with my gun raised. And I had to admit, I was a little shocked, myself…but I wasn't gonna just let someone I cared about get shot. Especially someone who couldn't heal the way I could. I mean, I'd never been shot, but I was pretty sure that as long as the bullet wasn't blocking the way, it would heal nicely.**

**I had a war going on in my head. One part was telling me Sarge was a human, the other part was telling me that it didn't matter because he was threatening Sam. I had a right to protect anyone I cared about.**

**Anyway, Dean glared at Sarge. "I'm gonna say this one time. You make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground, you understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?" I could tell he meant it.**

"**He'll do it," I backed him up. "And I'll let him," I added. Not that I could have stopped him anyway. I'd only said it to let Dean know that I was okay with it. As if it wasn't clear enough. I mean, I had my gun trained on the guy.**

"**Then what are we supposed to do?" Sarge yelled.**

**There was a long, tense silence, and then Dean said, "get the hell out of here, that's what." He dug the car keys out of his pocket and looked at me. "Take my car." He lowered my gun and took one of my hands in his, placing the keys in it and closing my hand around them. "You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there." He was referring to the waiting room. He looked at Dr. Lee, Duane, and Sarge. "You three go with her. You've got enough fire power to handle anything now."**

"**What about you?" Sarge asked.**

**Dean looked at him, and then at Sam.**

"**Dean, no. Go with _them_. This is your only chance." Sam was pleading.**

**I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he had given me the keys, that he wanted me to go.**

"**You're not getting rid of me that easy," Dean replied.**

"**And _you're_ not getting rid of _me_," I said, giving him the keys back.**

"**Alyson-" Dean started to argue.**

"**No," I cut him off. "I'd do almost anything for you, you know that, but this isn't one of them. You stay, I stay."**

**Dean could see I wasn't gonna budge on this no matter what he did, so he threw the keys to Sarge instead.**

"**Come with us," he said to me and Dean. I just looked at the floor and Dean shook his head. "Okay, it's your funeral."**

**Duane and Sarge walked out the door and Dr. Lee went to join them. Dean followed her, so he could shut and lock the door, but she turned back around.**

"**I'm sorry. Thanks for everything, Marshall's."**

"**Oh, actually, we're not really Marshall's." Dean shrugged. I guess he assumed that since he was gonna die, it didn't matter if she knew the truth.**

"**Um…oh," she said before walking out.**

**He closed and locked the door, taking a deep breath, before turning back around. He looked at me. "You should've gone with 'em. You could've kept them safe."**

"**Yeah, well, I'm screwed wherever I am," I retorted. "Whichever way…I'm gonna die, so…"**

**Truth was, I probably could've made it to Bobby's without a problem, but…Dean and Sam were my guys. Bobby was great and everything, I loved Bobby, but he wasn't them. I was glad Dean had confidence in me though. Not that it was gonna do any good much longer.**

"**Guys, don't do this," Sam said, tears in his eyes. "Just get the hell outta here."**

"**No way," Dean said.**

"**Give me my gun…and leave."**

"**For the last time, Sam…no," Dean spoke quietly. Oh, this was killing him.**

"**Dean, I'm sick. It's over for me. It doesn't have to be for you."**

"**No?"**

"**No, you can keep going."**

"**Who says I want to?" he asked quietly.**

"**What?" Sam and I asked in unison.**

**Tears leaked out from the corners of Sam's eyes, and he looked at Dean, who went to lean on the counter. He took his gun out; I didn't know why, because he'd never use it. Not on Sam.**

"**I'm tired, Sam," Dean said after a minute of silence. "I'm tired of this job, this life. This weight on my shoulders, man, I'm tired of it."**

**It occurred to me just then that the only reason he was even talking about this to Sam was because he thought Sam was infected. And then another thing occurred to me. The gun…Dean might've planned on killing Sam and then killing himself. Maybe that had been why he'd wanted me to leave.**

"**So, what?" Sam started, voice shaky. "So, you're just gonna lay down and die? Look, Dean, I know this stuff with Dad-"**

"**You're wrong," Dean interrupted flatly. "It's not about Dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but-"**

"**Then what is it about?" Sam cut in. He was concerned about what could possible make his brother feel this way.**

**There was only one thing that Dean had talked to me about that could be considered a weight on his shoulders aside from the whole John thing, and that was Sam. More precisely, Sam turning evil. Which was what was happening now.**

"**Take my blood," I said suddenly. It was more a friendly request than an order.**

"**What?" Sam asked.**

"**My blood. I made the virus go away in the dead people. Maybe it'll do the same for you." And then just to add to my conviction, I said, "besides, it sure beats the alternative."**

**Sam seemed like he didn't know what to make of that, and Dean looked like I'd just given him a thread of hope to cling onto.**

**I heard footsteps in the hallway outside the door and then I saw the doctor through the little window. She knocked on the door, letting us know she wanted in.**

**Dean opened it, but didn't say anything. He was probably wondering what she was still doing here.**

"**You better come see this," she said urgently.**

**Dean looked back at us, and then directly at Sam. He nodded for us to follow him. Sam hopped off the table and then we made our way out of the clinic. No one was there, apart from us who had been in the clinic for the past twenty-some-odd hours.**

"**Where the hell'd everybody go?" I wondered out loud.**

"**There's no one," Dr. Lee said. "Not anywhere. They've all just…vanished."**

**It was creepy; all I could hear were crickets. And I still felt odd, although it was more chills than anything else now.**

**I instinctively slipped between my two guys because this was just too weird. Even for me. Dean seemed disturbed by the sudden turn of events, and Sam seemed shocked.**

"**I think we should go back inside," I said quietly.**

"**I need to get to my truck," Sarge said. "So I can get the hell out of here."**

"**Yeah, hold on, I'll take you," Dean said. "It's it's still there." He turned my way. "Stay with Sammy, okay? I'll be back."**

**He hugged me to him briefly and then I watched as Sarge handed him the car keys.**

"**Wait," Duane said. "Sarge, take me with you."**

**Sarge shrugged. "Sure."**

**Sam, Dr. Lee, and I went back into the clinic. I felt better already. Safer now that we were back inside.**

**I reached for Sam's arm, leading him back to the room we'd previously left. "Come on, ya overgrown ox. Let's get you properly checked out."**

**The doctor followed us back to the room, leaving the door open on her way in. I didn't know whether it was because she was scared, or because she wanted a good escape route should Sam snap. I wouldn't have blamed her if it was the second one.**

**She took a sample of Sam's blood, which he willingly gave, and then placed it under a microscope, analyzing it.**

"**So far your blood is still clean," she said.**

"**He's not infected?" I asked.**

"**Not yet. But…" she was saying he still could be.**

"**Okay. So we'll just wait it out," I said confidently. Not to mention if he turned, we could just knock him out much like Sam had done to Beverly earlier. Then Dr. Lee could take another sample and mix it with my blood just to see if it would help someone who was still alive.**

"**I'm gonna go to the autopsy room, I'll be back in a minute."**

**She left, leaving me and Sam alone. "You okay?" I asked.**

"**For now," he replied. He hesitated before speaking again. "What was Dean talking about earlier?"**

**I bit my lip and looked at the floor. "Sam…"**

"**You know…don't you?"**

"**I can't," I said firmly. Meaning I couldn't talk about it. Or wouldn't, was more like it.**

"**Is it bad?" Sam asked, hushed.**

"**It all depends on how you look at it…of if you believe it, which I don't." I looked at him now. "But I _can't_ tell you. It's not my place."**

"**Is it about me?" Sam questioned. "Because if it is, don't you think I have a right to know?"**

"**It's not my place," I repeated. "If you wanna know, you should ask Dean."**

**Sam nodded. "Oh, you bet I will."**

**------------- -**

**It had been five hours since Pamela had mixed her blood with Sam's and Sam still hadn't shown any signs of infection. I hadn't mixed my blood with him, so that wasn't what had done it. And not only that…Pamela didn't have the virus anymore. When Dr. Lee had drawn blood from her body just the study the virus…there hadn't been any sulfur in her bloodstream.**

**It seemed that the virus had vanished along with the people of this town.**

**That was troubling. But as far as Sam goes, I was happy he hadn't been infected, and happy we were all alive.**

**Sam, Dean, and I were standing outside the clinic and Dean was leaning against the hood of the Impala, Sam was leaning against the passenger side door, and I was sprawled across the hood, my head on Dean's lap.**

**Now, it wasn't the most comfortable position, not by a long shot, but it felt good to just relax. No matter how hard the metal was.**

**My legs were dangling off the side, because I was pretty sure Dean would've disowned me if I left scuff marks from my shoes on his baby.**

**Dean started treading his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp, and I sighed contentedly. I knew who I was going to the next time I had a headache.**

"**Ya know, I swear I'm gonna lose sleep over this one," Dean said. "I mean, why here? Why now? Where the hell did everybody go? It's not like they just freakin' melted."**

"**Why was I immune?" Sam asked softly.**

"**Yeah, you know what, that's a good question."**

"**Dean," I said sleepily, "you know that expression 'you should never look a gift horse in the mouth'? We should definitely use that principle here."**

"**Yeah, I hear ya. But I'm already startin' to feel like this is the one that got away."**

**I didn't say anything about that, because honestly, I got where he was coming from. I mean, we hadn't solved anything, the people had just disappeared.**

"**I'm tired," I said suddenly. "Aren't you guys tired?" And then my stomach grumbled. "And hungry? I'm starvin'."**

"**Food does sound good, as long as we can leave here," Sam said.**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "Food and pie."**

**I grinned. "Pie is food."**

"**No, see, pie has its own category. There's food and then above that is pie."**

"**If you say so," I said, ending the conversation. Dean could keep believing in his unique world views. It was part of his charm; he wouldn't be Dean Winchester without them.**

"**You guys realize we're gonna have to do laundry soon, right?" I heard Sam say reluctantly. Neither guy was happy when laundry day came. Neither was I, now that I thought about it.**

"**Work, work, work," I complained lightly. "Screw it. I'll just buy us new clothes."**

**I heard Dean snicker above me, and I couldn't see Sam's face, but I was 99% sure he was smiling. I had been joking, of course. I wasn't Jessica Simpson; I wasn't gonna throw my clothes away just because they were dirty. I didn't even know if that was true or not. I'd just been flipping through the channels of the TV one day and _Newlyweds _had been on.**

**Jessica had been at the top of the stairs throwing clothes on the floor, complaining that she didn't know how to use a washing machine or something like that. I didn't know if those shows had been fake or not…but my goodness.**

"**Anyway, first thing's first, let's get the hell outta here," Dean said. He helped me sit up. "Come on, babe, up ya get."**

**Dean had just called me babe. We'd been together for about three months now, give or take a couple weeks, and he'd never called me that. He'd always just said my name. But I could live with babe.**

**------------- -**

**We drove until we got to California, which was only about an hour-and-a-half from where we'd been. We were nowhere near San Francisco, so I was okay.**

**Anyway, we decided to eat first, because I told them that if we went to a motel first, I wasn't gonna leave again. I was gonna lay down and probably go into a coma-like state for the next fourteen to sixteen hours. By-product of sleepless, stressful nights.**

**I swear, until I'd met Sam and Dean I'd never had so many sleepless nights. But that's what hunting did to you; made you lose sleep. It wasn't so much from the hunt itself. I mean, most of the time I just shrugged that stuff off, unless it was really bad. Most of the time I didn't let it bother me. The sleepless nights came _because_ of the hunts, not _from _them. It's kinda hard to sleep when you're trying to save lives or when you're fighting for your own life.**

**Anyway, we stopped by a place called Henry's Diner. It was just after noon, so we got lunch. Again, Dean ate more than Sam and me combined.**

**Eating seemed to be a mistake, however, because now I was even more tired than before. I mean, I had my elbow propped up on the table and my face cupped in my palm. Every minute or some, I'd doze off. I'd hear them talk about something, I'd close my eyes, and then when I opened them, the guys would be talking about something completely different.**

**------------- -**

**We ended up at a motel that was near the Sacramento River. The motel was slightly pricier than our usual, but we were all tired, and it had been the first one we had come to.**

**The first thing I did was jump into bed. I didn't even change my clothes. I was just too tired, and the bed was just so comfortable. And besides, I'd slept in my day clothes before. A bunch of times, actually. It had taken me a while to get used to sleeping in my Pjs around the guys, and then when I had gotten used to it, John had come along and I'd just said "Screw it, I'll just sleep in my clothes while he's around."**

**When John had joined us on the hunt, that's when Dean and I had started sharing a bed. I think I had been in the process of falling in love with him at that point, but it hadn't actually hit me until I thought he'd been dying, after that possessed demon trucker had rammed us with his semi.**

"**So…" I heard Sam speak lightly. "Last night. You wanna tell me what you were talking about?"**

**He was talking to Dean, I knew he was. I looked his way anyway. He didn't seem angry, Sam didn't. He just seemed open to whatever Dean had been talking about. He really wanted to know. It wasn't selfish, either. He wanted to help take the load off of Dean's shoulders.**

**I just hoped they wouldn't fight about it if Dean told him. Which it didn't seem like that was gonna happen. Dean had a closed off expression on his face.**

"**What'd you mean?"**

"**What do I mean?" Sam asked, playing along. "I mean, you said you were tired of the job. And that it wasn't just because of Dad. So…what is it?"**

"**Forget it."**

"**No, I can't. No way." He still sounded like he wanted him to talk for Dean's benefit and not his own.**

"**Come on, man, I thought we were both gonna die. You can't hold that over me."**

**Sam grinned. "No, no, no. You can't pull that crap on me, man. You're talkin'!"**

**Dean chuckled softly. "And what if I don't?"**

"**Then I guess I'll just have to keep askin' until you do," Sam said simply. His face had this whole stubborn set to it. He'd definitely keep asking, that's just how he was. He'd keep asking until Dean gave in and told, or until Dean got mad and hit him. One of the two.**

**Dean sighed and then sat down on the bed. So I guess maybe he _was_ gonna talk about it. "I don't know, man, I just think maybe we oughta…go to the Grand Canyon."**

"**What?" Sam asked incredulously. Or maybe amused was a better word, because there was definite amusement in his eyes.**

"**Yeah, you know, all this drivin' back and forth, cross-country. You know I've never been to the Grand Canyon." Sam looked concerned now. Concerned and confused. "Or we could go to T.J. Or Hollywood, see if we can bang Lindsay Lohan."**

"**Hey," I said. "Girlfriend's right here."**

**He looked at me mischievously, and I stuck my tongue out at him.**

"**Dean, you're not makin' any sense," Sam said, pulling Dean back into the conversation.**

**Dean hesitated before answering. "I just think we should take a break from all this. I mean, why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility? Ya know, why can't we live life a little bit?"**

"**Why are you sayin' all this?" Sam asked.**

**I'd been mostly quiet up until now, but now I had to say something. It was gonna sound smart, but I didn't care.**

"**He's saying it because he means it. Obviously." I paused. "And we should definitely resume this conversation later. When we're all well-rested."**

**Dean looked at me gratefully. "That's a good idea." He glanced back at Sam. "What she said."**

"**No, no, no. Dean, you're my brother, all right? So, whatever weight you're carryin'…let me help a little bit."**

**And he did want to help. I could tell that. But I was wondering if he'd be so understanding once Dean told him. _If_ he told him. Which Dean actually looked like he was considering doing just that. But he didn't.**

"**I can't. I promised."**

"**Who?" Sam was curious now.**

"**Dad."**

**Sam started fidgetting on his bed and then said, "What're you talking about?"**

**Dean wouldn't meet Sam's gaze. I guess he found the floor interesting at the moment. "Right before Dad died…he told me something. He told me something about you."**

**Now he looked up, and I sat up, moving closer to Dean because I had a feeling he would need some support in this. Something told me he wouldn't be getting it from Sam.**

**Sam, who was getting more and more worried by the second.**

"**What?" Sam asked, his voice hushed. "Dean, what did he tell you?"**

**Dean didn't say anything for a while, but it wasn't because he wanted to take it back, I didn't think. I think it was because he didn't know how to say what needed to be said.**

"**Dean?" Sam prompted. "What did he tell you?"**

**Dean cleared his throat. This was hard for him. I placed my hand on his back and left it there.**

"**He said that he…he wanted me to watch out for you. Take care of you."**

"**He told you that a million times."**

**Sam was still confused, but so far, there hadn't been any sparks flying. So that must've been a good sign. Right?**

"**No, this time was different," Dean said. "He said that I had to…save you."**

"**Save me from what?" He was even more lost now.**

**Dean shook his. "He just said that I had to save you. That nothing else mattered. And if I couldn't I'd…"**

"**You'd what, Dean?" Sam raised his voice, standing up from the bed.**

"**I'd have to kill you." Sam was confused again. "He said that I might have to kill you, Sammy." Dean voice broke in parts while he was talking. I think if I hadn't been so tired I might've started crying over the way he'd sounded.**

"**Kill me?" Sam sounded broken, too. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"**

"**I don't know," Dean whispered, looking at the floor again.**

"**I mean, he must've had some sort of reason for saying it, right? Did he know the demon's plan's for me? Am I supposed to go dark-side or somethin?!" Sam's voice got louder. "What else did he say, Dean?"**

"**Nothin'. That's it. I swear."**

"**How could you not have told me this?" Sam half-yelled.**

**Dean stared at him. "Because he was Dad and he begged me not to."**

"**Who cares?" Sam said sharply. "Take some responsibility for yourself, Dean! You had no right to keep this from me!" He looked my way, that last part had probably been meant for me, too.**

**I wasn't sorry I hadn't told him. I mean, look at the way he'd reacted.**

**Anyway, Dean stood up now, my hand falling to the bed. He was mad now, too, and he was standing in front of Sam.**

"**You think I wanted this? Huh? I wish to God he'd never opened his mouth." Dean was shouting. "Then I wouldn't have to walk around with this screamin' in my head all day."**

**Sam turned away from Dean, and at first I thought he was gonna leave the room, but he didn't. He was just trying to calm down a bit.**

"**We've just gotta figure out what's going on then. What the hell all this means."**

"**We do? I've been thinking about this. I think we should just lay low, ya know?" Dean was being serious. "At least for a while. It'd be safer. And that way, I could make sure…"**

"**What?" Sam smiled viciously. Actually, it was more of a grimace. "That I don't turn evil? That I don't turn into some kind of killer?" he shouted the last word, getting right in Dean's face.**

"**I never said that." He'd been hurt by what Sam had said though, and in some indirect way that made me angry.**

**Sam wasn't evil, I knew that. But he had a way with words. He could be ruthless when he wanted to be. He could be downright cruel, the way he said things. Like right now.**

"**Jeez, if you're not careful, you _will_ have to waste me one day, Dean!"**

"**I never said that!" Dean yelled desperately. "Damn it, Sam, this whole thing is spinning out of control. I mean, you-you're immune to some weirdo demon virus, and I don't even know what the hell anymore."**

**Sam didn't say anything, he just turned his back on Dean again, pissing me off even further.**

**And, oh no, I felt the whole explosion power thing building again. Although it wasn't pain I was feeling this time; it was anger. At Sam.**

**Well, this was no good at all. I mean, I could even see where he was coming from, thinking we should've told him about this. I'd probably feel the same way, actually.**

"**Uh, guys?"**

**Dean ignored that, and continued hollering at Sam. "And you're pissed at me, and I get it. That's fine, I deserve it. But we lay low until we figure out our next move, okay?"**

**Sam looked at Dean again. "Forget it," Sam said firmly.**

"**Guys?" I said only a little louder. The anger I'd been feeling was gone, but the power was still there. "You should sit down," I said. "Episode alert."**

**That got their attention. "What?" Dean said.**

"**The whole explosion thing. I can feel it. It's like my emotions feed it or something."**

**The guys did sit down and they looked worried, both of them. They were probably wondering if they should duck and cover at this point.**

**Dean moved his eyes to Sam again. "Sam, please, man. Just give me some time." Sam didn't say anything. "Hey, please. Give me some time to think, okay? I'm beggin' you here. Please…just please."**

**Sam didn't say anything, again, but he did nod. So at least their conflict was over. Meanwhile, I was having issues of my own. The guys noticed; they just didn't know what to do.**

"**Maybe you should just let it go," Dean suggested, looking in my direction.**

"**Let what go?" I asked.**

"**Whatever it is you're holding onto."**

**I hadn't been aware that I'd been holding onto anything until he'd said that, but now that he'd mentioned it, I had been hanging onto something. Control. Trying to keep from exploding.**

**But letting go of that would be bad, right? I mean, last time that had happened I threw them across the room.**

**Although, this didn't feel as strong as it had the last time, so maybe Dean was right. The only problem was that I didn't know how to do that. So I tried visualization. The whole concept of visualizing doing something, and then your body reacts and does it.**

**I closed my eyes and saw a ball of golden-white and blue light. I remembered the burst of light that had shot out from me the last time, so that's what I imagined the power looked like in its raw form. I visualized the ball expanding outward slowly, happily, and then I heard a _crack_.**

**And, okay, that hadn't been part of the exorcise, so my eyes shot open. The mirror in the room had cracked. But it didn't look like I'd hit it. You know how when you either hit or throw something at it, the mirror will have lines scattering away from the starting point? Well, this wasn't like that.**

**This mirror had cracked in the vague shape of a plus sign. Top to bottom, side to side, intersecting line in the middle. No point of impact. They were fine lines, almost as if I'd done it intentionally.**

"**Jeez, what is with you and glass?" I heard Dean say. He was joking, I could tell. "I mean, come on, you can't be riding in my car if you're gonna be a danger to the windows."**

**I smiled slightly. It had worked…sorta. I mean, the feeling was gone, and I'd been able to release the power safely. I hadn't been able to direct where it had gone, but I was just glad that I'd been able to hit an inanimate object rather than a person.**

* * *

So, last part of Croatoan. Enjoy.


	23. Hunted Pt One

**Hunted  
Part One**

**The next morning, I woke up and realized that I was alone. It didn't freak me out as much as it used to. I knew they weren't just gonna up and leave me, so I didn't mind waking up alone anymore.**

**Besides, I could hear the shower running in the bathroom, so I knew I wasn't alone, alone. I didn't know whether it was Sam or Dean who was in there, but I was sure they weren't in there together. I mean, shudder to think, right?**

**Anyway, that meant one of them wasn't in the room. I stretched and then sat up. I stared at the crack in the mirror and again wondered how I'd done it.**

**I then shook my head, thinking it really didn't matter right now. At least I hadn't hurt anybody this time.**

**I got off the bed, stretched again, and then went to the bathroom door. I wondered whether I should knock, but then I realized it didn't matter whether I stuck my head in without knocking because there was a shower curtain.**

**So I opened the door. "Dean?"**

"**Yeah?" his voice echoed through the small, steamy room. Wow, how hot were his showers?**

"**Nothin'. I was just making sure it was you." I paused. "Do you know where Sam is?"**

"**Yeah, he said he needed some air."**

"**Oh." He was probably still upset about what Dean had told him. Honestly, I didn't know whether Sam was more upset about the conversation, or about the fact that Dean hadn't told him sooner.**

"**Hey, hand me a towel, would ya?" he said.**

**I stepped further in and grabbed a towel. I moved the shower curtain and handed it to him on the side opposite the water.**

"**Thanks."**

"**Mm-hm." I turned to leave. "I'm gonna leave now. Um, I'll be outside with Sam. I'm gonna talk to him."**

**Dean shut the water off and I heard the curtain rustle. I blushed just imagining what he looked like. Water glistening on his chest, slowly gliding down to the white towel around his waist, which would hide what was mine and only mine. For now, anyway. Well, I mean, we hadn't actually inserted anything, but still…mine.**

"**You can turn around, ya know," he said, teasing.**

**So I did, and I blushed even harder. _Wow, girl, what is wrong with you_? I thought. _You've seen him naked before. This shouldn't embarrass you_. But then again…I wouldn't be me if it didn't.**

**I ducked my head so that I wouldn't have to look at him, but I felt him move closer. He tucked a finger under my chin and gently lifted my face so my eyes would meet his.**

**His gaze was questioning, but then a look of realization came over his face. "You're still shy," he said wonderingly, like it amazed him.**

**I shrugged sheepishly. "I think it's just in my nature."**

**He smiled slightly. It wasn't a smirk, it wasn't a grin, it was a genuine smile. The kind of smile he only let me and Sam see.**

**His hands fell to my hips and he brought me slightly closer. "You're beautiful, you know that?"**

**I blinked a few times, not knowing what to say to that. "Um…" Really didn't know what to say.**

**So I kissed him instead. It was slow and languid, not fast and passionate. He held me with such tenderness and love that it was almost reverent. Which was kinda scary if I thought about it too much, so I didn't.**

**I realized that this man here, this was my Dean. The real Dean. A man who feels _everything_ even though he doesn't think he should let people know. And for some reason, he'd picked me to show his real self to. Huh…I wondered what made me so special.**

**But this part of Dean was mostly mine. Sam only saw him on occasion, but most of the time Dean put on a front around Sam. Made Sam think he didn't care about most things, didn't let things get to him or scare him. Sam saw through most of it, but the point was that nine times out of ten Dean didn't put on a façade when he was alone with me. He didn't feel embarrassed to show me that he cared, or tell me that things bothered him. He wasn't ashamed to let me in. I didn't know why, maybe it was because I was a girl. Or maybe it was because I didn't bring it up again unless he said something first. Or maybe…it was only because I wasn't Sam.**

**When he broke away from me, he kept me close anyway, and he rested his chin on my head. That was when I noticed he was getting me wet. Apparently, he hadn't dried off before he'd stepped out of the tub.**

"**I love you," I heard him whisper, and I tried not to go still in his arms, but I failed terribly. I mean, yeah, he showed me his softer side, but he still didn't usually say those words. Not out right like that.**

"**I love you too," I said sincerely, then pulled back to look at him. "Are you okay?"**

"**Yeah," he said honestly. "Why?"**

"**You just told me you loved me," I said softly.**

"**I did," he agreed simply. "Because I do." He paused and then grinned. "That's enough of the chick flick moment, huh?"**

**I smiled and shook my head. "Right. Well, like I said, I'll be outside with Sam. I'm gonna make sure he's okay." _And not ready to throw punches the next time he sees Dean_, I added silently.**

**------------- -**

**When I got to Sam, who was out sitting at a picnic table, I saw he was drinking a beer. I looked at my watch; it was barely eight.**

"**Little early, don't ya think?" I pointed to the bottle in his hands. But he didn't say anything; he just took another sip from his drink. "I guess you're still mad, huh?"**

"**Pissed," he deadpanned. He looked at me. "How long have you known? When did he tell you?"**

**I sighed, resigning myself to the argument I thought was coming. "Ever since San Francisco," I admitted.**

"**That was in October," he said, agitated. "It's now January, why didn't you tell me?"**

**My defense was gonna make him even more upset. "Because Dean asked me not to." He clenched his jaw, no doubt remembering Dean saying that too, only he didn't because of John. "But, Sam, I wouldn't have told you anyway."**

**That took him by surprise. "What? Why not?"**

"**Because…look how you're reacting. You're mad at both of us now, and you're worried that you might turn evil." I was only pointing out the obvious. "So, in hindsight, I think we did the right thing."**

**Sam didn't say anything about that. He just asked another question. "Well, why did he tell you and not me?"**

**Again, I felt myself sighing, and I sat beside him. I thought about it for a minute, and I could see Sam getting irritated. He probably didn't think I was gonna answer, so I told him to hold on, that I was thinking.**

**Finally, I began to speak. I mean, I could have told him already, but I had a feeling the words would've been jumbled if I hadn't thought about it. "Because when I was with those demons I…" I trailed off for a second. I looked at Sam again. He didn't look angry anymore, although he still was upset. But he seemed concerned because he knew how hard it was for me to talk about this. "They told me things about you. They thought I was gonna die anyway so the didn't mind telling me, I guess."**

"**Telling you what?"**

**I looked at the ground, debating whether or not I should tell him everything. I mean, it was _bad_, and I didn't want Sam to worry more than necessary. But as Sam had told us the day before, he'd keep bugging until he got what he wanted.**

"**Are you sure you wanna know?" I asked reluctantly.**

"**Yes," he breathed. "I'm sure."**

**I nodded. "Look, I don't know everything, only what they said. And you can't really trust a demon anyway, so I don't know if it's true. I just know what they thought."**

"**Okay."**

"**They thought that you were supposed to be some sort of Anti-Christ or something. That you were supposed to be able to do a lot of other stuff, more than visions."**

"**Like what?" he asked, blinking.**

"**I don't know, they didn't say." I grabbed his arm. "But, Sam, it shouldn't matter what they thought. You're not evil. You have to know that." He looked away. "You _do_ know that, don't you?"**

"**Sometimes I wonder," he said quietly. "I mean, I've been the cause of so many bad things. Mom, Jessica…"**

"**Those weren't your fault. I mean, your mom died in your nursery…so what? She was your mom, she would've died to protect you anyway. And Jessica…I don't know the whole story with that, but…the way the yellow-eyed demon put it, she would've been killed no matter what. You can't blame yourself for that."**

**He smiled slightly in my direction, looking like he was grateful for the words, but didn't know if he should believe them.**

**I sighed again. "You know, if you would just listen to me, it would simple things up so much," I joked…sorta.**

**His smiled widened, and he shook his head, amused. He went to take a sip of his beer, but I took it from him.**

"**Hey!" he complained.**

"**I wanna try it," I said, placing the bottle to my lips and taking a medium-sized sip. Bitterness was the first taste, and then my eyes watered because I found it disgusting and hard to swallow without gagging. So I spit it out onto the ground.**

"**That's decidedly repulsive," I stated. "Bleh!" I shook my head and handed the bottle back to Sam.**

**I hadn't told him about the whole 'he's the one who's supposed to kill me' thing. And I was sure Dean wouldn't say anything about it. But, I mean, Sam was already worried enough, I didn't want him to worry anymore.**

**------------- -**

**We went to the Laundromat to wash our clothes, which was okay, or as okay as doing laundry can be, but things came to a standstill when I came across Dean's boxer's in my bag, and then most of his other stuff came after that.**

"**Is this your way of asking me to do your clothes for you?" I joked.**

"**What?" he asked innocently. "No…I just…" He shrugged. "Will you?"**

**I sighed dramatically, as if doing his laundry was the worst thing imaginable. "Yes, I guess. But only because you asked nicely."**

"**Oh, well, if you're doing his, will you do mine, too?" Sam asked sheepishly.**

**I grimaced. It would be rude to say no, but I really didn't want to handle Sam's…under-things.**

"**It's just…you're so much better at it than we are," Sam said, seeing the look on my face.**

**I rolled my eyes. "Fine. You better be glad I love you guys, or I would've said no."**

**I could do laundry…I hated it, but I could do it. I'd been doing my own laundry since I was twelve. My mom would just let hers pile up until she hardly had anything to wear and then she'd do her laundry.**

"**So, where're we going from here, guys?" Sam asked, looking at Dean. He was probably remembering that Dean wanted to lay low for a while, wanted to take a break. Again.**

"**I don't know," Dean said uncomfortably. "I just think we should, ya know, do something fun for a while."**

"**Fun?" I asked, intrigued. "Like what? And something that doesn't involve Hollywood or Lindsay Lohan."**

**Dean grinned and Sam shook his head. I began to sift through the clothes. I knew you were supposed to separate them, but the fact was it would've been impractical to do that with what little we had.**

**------------- -**

**Dean wanted to do something fun, so we went to a batting cage. You get to take out your aggression with a bat. It was my treat. Besides, I liked it too. Even Sam seemed to be having fun. Ya know, for someone who didn't want to take a break.**

**Dean seemed to enjoy doing something normal for once, and I was glad I had thought of it.**

**Now, usually October through April was rain season in Northern California, but luckily it wasn't raining today. And it was almost 60, so it was warm enough to go without a jacket. For now, anyway.**

**------------- -**

**We'd had about as normal a day as normal could get. We hadn't looked for a job - we hadn't even mentioned a job. Though Sam looked like he wanted to get back into it already. Even though it had only been one day. But at least he was giving Dean this much.**

**Anyway, we were in the same motel room we'd been in the night before and Sam was drinking another beer. He'd offered me one with a playful smirk and I'd laughed sarcastically.**

"**You're funny," I said. "I can't even swallow that stuff."**

"**You haven't even tasted it," Dean said.**

"**Actually, she did," Sam said. "This morning. She spit it back out."**

**Dean shook his head mock-shamefully. "You couldn't even swallow it?"**

**I crinkled my nose in disgust. "Not without vomiting. It's quite gross, you know?"**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Yes." I sounded very definitive when I'd said that. The guys looked amused.**

**------------- -**

"**Wake up!" I heard Dean say frantically. He jarred me awake by shaking me…hard. He'd never been rough with me, something was wrong. "Sam is gone. Get up." He was freaking out.**

"**What time is it?" I asked calmly.**

"**What?" He was distracted, too.**

"**What time is it?" It was still dark, but I was sure that there was a reasonable explanation for Sam being gone. I looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was five.**

"**Maybe Sam just woke up early and went to get food or something," I suggested.**

"**No, he'd have left a note or something," Dean said. He began rushing to put our stuff in a bag. He was seriously panicking.**

**I got up from the bed and went to grab his arms, stopping him from packing. "Dean, relax, okay?"**

**Dean didn't relax. "Something could've taken him."**

"**Not from here, they couldn't. I would've felt them."**

**And apparently when it comes to Sam, Dean couldn't think straight because _that_ hadn't seemed to occur to him yet. And as if to prove my point, I went to the windowsill and checked the salt lines. They weren't broken.**

"**See, it's not a demon, anyway." I looked at the clothes he'd been packing. "Or a ghost. And where are you planning on going, huh?"**

"**To look for him," Dean said obviously.**

"**Where?" I asked. "You don't even know where he is."**

**I wasn't being cold or difficult. I was just stating a fact. Dean wasn't being rational, so I had to be.**

"**So if nothing took him, then he left by himself." I grabbed him again. "Now, you know him better than anyone. Where would he go?"**

**Dean paused, thinking. "The Roadhouse. If he left, he did it for a reason, so…the Roadhouse."**

"**Okay," I said. I was wondering _why_ he would leave and then their argument from the other night came to mind. He'd wanted answers about himself. "He was way vocal about finding out what was going on."**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed, calming down now that we had a semi-plan. "Yeah. I'll call Ellen and let her know that Sam's probably headed her way, tell her to call us if he shows up. And we're gonna head there ourselves."**

**I agreed with that. I could get behind that. It was better than packing frantically with nowhere to go.**

**------------- -**

**We were in the Impala now - Dean was leaving the phone calls up to me - heading towards the Roadhouse. I'd called Ellen three times and hadn't got an answer. Dean had tried once before we'd left and he hadn't gotten an answer either. **

**When I finally got hold of Ellen - after, like, the sixth try -, she'd said that she hadn't seen Sam, which was okay because if that had been where Sam had been headed, he wouldn't get there for a while.**

**And we were sure he'd left willingly because there had been a car missing from the parking lot courtesy of Sam Winchester. The owner had been looking for it before we'd left, had called the cops and everything.**

**I'd tried calling Sam, but the stupid guy had left his cell phone with us so we couldn't track him through the GPS in his cell. So maybe not so stupid after all. Not stupid, just annoying. Because tracking him through that would've made our job easier.**

**Sam just had better be glad Dean was the one he was related to, because if he'd been my brother I'd have just said 'screw it' and let him go his own way. I definitely wouldn't have gone looking for him. I mean, it was obvious that he didn't want our help. The cell phone he'd left behind was evidence of that. So, as I said…screw it.**

**------------- -**

**We reached the Roadhouse around midday and the place wasn't exactly packed, but there were enough people that we had to take our conversation into the back room where Ash stayed. Oh, and he was fully clothed this time.**

"**So, have you seen him?" Dean asked, straight away.**

"**Yes," Ellen answered. "I have."**

"**You were supposed to call," I reminded her neutrally.**

"**He made me promise not to tell you," she directed at Dean. "He said he was tryin' to find answers about who he is. He said that you couldn't protect him from that."**

"**Come on, Ellen, please!" Dean said desperately. "Somethin' bad could be goin' on here, and I swore I'd look after that kid.**

**Ellen closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "He's in Lafayette, Indiana."**

**Dean nodded. "Thanks."**

"**That's like a day's worth of driving," I said. "Or half a day with you driving."**

"**Yeah," Dean said. "But Sam's probably already halfway there."**

**Ellen excused herself, going back to the bar area. Dean and I were left with Ash, who had been silent up to now.**

"**What was he looking for, Ash?" I asked. The only reason Sam would have come here was if he needed some help finding something.**

"**Other people," he answered with his Southern drawl, "like him."**

"**Psychics," I clarified. "Who'd he go after?"**

"**Scott Carey. He was killed about a month ago. Stabbed in a parking lot. But he fit the pattern. Six months old, his mom died in a nursery fire."**

"**Thank you," Dean said.**

**We walked back out and as soon as we came out into the main room we headed for the door. The problem was I ran into someone. Literally.**

**One minute I was walking, the next I was knocking into someone, spilling beer all over the front of me and the person I'd ran into.**

"**Oh, wow," I said. "I'm sorry." I was looking at the floor where the glass had fallen.**

"**It's okay," a male voice said. "Alyson Daniels."**

**Okay, someone knew my name, my full name, and that was in no way creepy. **

**My breath caught in my throat, and I looked up at the voice. There was a man there. A man with blue eyes, brown hair, tan skin. His face was shaped like mine. Or mine was shaped like his. I had his smile, too. He was smiling, lightly. His eyes were sparkling like they were happy but trying to hold back tears.**

**He was about 5'9'…Just as tall as he'd been the last time I'd seen him. Him being my dad, of course. My dad, who was supposed to be dead.**

**------------- -**

**I couldn't breathe. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I grabbed onto Dean's arm, still looking at the man before me. I hadn't seen my dad in a long time. He'd supposedly died when I was fourteen, but apparently that had been a lie. Unless this wasn't really my dad.**

**He looked like my dad. His appearance was much the same as it had been the last time I'd seen him. He dressed like a lot of hunters I'd seen. Blue jeans, shirt, boots, and a jacket of some kind. He was clean-shaven, and his eyes had little wrinkles on the sides when he smiled. Other than that he looked about ten years younger than his actual age, which was forty-five.**

**I heard Dean say my name, asking me if I was okay, but I couldn't answer. My world was spinning and slowly fading into black. I thought I saw the guy reach for me with a worried expression on his face, but then I felt my legs give out on me, and I crumbled to the floor.**

**------------- -**

**When I came to, I was still on the bar-room floor; I must have only been out for a few seconds. But Dean and the man-who-couldn't-have-been-my-dad were leaning over me, looking worried.**

**I grabbed onto Dean, who was right beside me and had my upper body lifted off of the floor, and made myself stand up. I was staring at the other man, shaking my head, refusing to believe, and then headed for the exit.**

"**What?" I heard Dean say. "What is it?"**

**I made it outside, Dean following me, and went to the Impala. When I turned back around, I saw that the man had followed, too.**

"**It's me," he said, and Dean turned to him.**

"**And who are you?" Dean asked. "How do you know her? What are you doin' to her?"**

"**Relax, Dean," the man said. He even sounded like my dad…same calming voice, soothing tone. "She knows who I am." He looked at me almost sadly. "Don't you, Alyson?"**

"**Jack," I said. "Jack Daniels."**

**Dean raised an eyebrow. "Your name is Jack Daniels?" He found that amusing until the last name clicked. "Wait…" he looked at me now.**

"**My dad," I said. "That's my dad." I felt tears sting my eyes. "You're supposed to be dead."**

**Jack nodded. "I can explain that if you'll let me."**

**I looked at Dean and then back at my dad. I looked at him, hard. "No," I said. "We have to go now. I don't have time to listen to anything you have to say right now."**

"**Right," he said. "You're looking for Sam. Sam, who's in Indiana."**

**Both Dean and I tensed at that. "How do you know that? Or that name? Or Dean's, for that matter."**

"**I'm a hunter…sort of," he answered. "They're hunters. You're a hunter." He paused, stepping towards me. I would have moved back, but I was already pressed up against the car. "I'm sorry about Elizabeth." My mom's name.**

**My mom's name…I snapped. "Don't! You don't get to say that name." I looked at Dean. "Can we go? I wanna go." I looked back at Jack. "Look, I don't know why you're here. It may just be a coincidence-"**

"**I've been looking for you," he interrupted me. "Ever since your mom died, I've been looking for you. You running into me wasn't an accident."**

**I watched as Dean went to the driver's side door and opened it. "Well, I'm sorry you wasted your time. Please don't follow us," I said coldly.**

**I opened the passenger door and got in the car without looking back.**

* * *

Hey, readers! So, it looks like I've added another character. And I don't actually know how long he's going to be around, but I have a whole story arc thing dealing with him, I just don't know if I'm gonna carry it out. I think it depends on how well you readers take to him. Anyway, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. Thanks.


	24. Hunted Pt Two

**Picking up where I left off last time. She's just met her maybe-dad**

**Elm Treigh: Thanks for reviewing last time about the whole seamlessness thing because I was actually pretty nervous about bringing in a new character.**

**Hunted  
Part Two**

"**So…you were kinda hard on him back there," I heard Dean say after about fifteen minutes of driving. Neither of us had mentioned the return of my maybe-father. Until now.**

"**No, I wasn't," I said firmly. "I thought he was dead. But this is worse. This is…" I trailed off, getting angry, letting tears finally fall. "He just _left_. He abandoned me and mom when I was ten. And then… He's supposed to be dead. And now he says he's been looking for me, like it's just something that happens everyday."**

**I took a deep breath in mid-rant. "I don't want anything to do with him. I don't know him anymore, and he certainly doesn't know me." I looked at Dean. "I mean, how do we even know he's really Jack Daniels?"**

"**There are tests we can do," Dean said calmly. "Did you get any vibes off of him?"**

"**No," I said grudgingly. "So he's not a demon or ghost, or anything else we've come across."**

"**And if we find out he's actually telling the truth…what're you gonna do?" Dean asked.**

"**What do you mean?" I asked, wiping my tears away.**

"**Are you at least gonna hear him out?"**

**I swallowed. "No." Then I felt guilty because, well, if he was telling the truth then he was my dad. Really. "I don't know."**

**I saw Dean nod and then I felt like crying some more. I didn't _want_ to cry, but sometimes you can't control those things, ya know? And besides, they were more tears of anger than anything else.**

**And the weird thing was I didn't know which I wanted more…for him to be lying or telling the truth.**

**------------- -**

**It was halfway through the trip that I realized we were being followed. By my dad. I didn't know if Dean had known, but if he had he hadn't told me.**

**Dean and I had stopped at a gas station and Jack had pulled in behind us about a minute later. Dean had been pumping gas and I'd be drinking from a water bottle I'd just gotten, standing there beside Dean.**

**That's when I saw him coming towards me. How fun. And yes, that was my sarcastic voice.**

**Best part, though, was that he'd been driving a '69 Dodge Charger. It was a shade darker than electric blue, but in the light it looked electric. Okay, now I knew where my taste in cars had come from. 'Cause it definitely hadn't been from my mother.**

"**Nice car," I commented dryly, when he reached me. "I thought I told you not to follow me."**

**Jack was looking at the car still. "Yeah, she's a beauty, isn't she?"**

**Dean didn't say anything, but he looked at the Charger in appreciation. Uh-oh, the Impala might get jealous, him eyeing other cars like that.**

"**We really need to talk," Jack said, turning his attention to me. "And I can help you find Sam."**

"**What if I said I don't want your help?"**

"**Well, you didn't get your stubbornness from your mom's side of the family. I can be very persistent."**

**I was suddenly very glad that the bottle I was holding was plastic, because I was squeezing it very hard. If it had been glass it would've broken.**

"**How did you know where Sam is?" Dean asked.**

**Right. He'd said Sam was in Indiana without us having told him.**

"**I saw him when he was at the Roadhouse," Jack answered. "I didn't know it was him at first, but then I heard him talkin' to Ash and Ellen, and then I knew." He sighed. "I knew you two would get the eventually so I waited for you."**

"**What else do you _know_?" I asked heatedly.**

"**Well, I know about _you,_ for one thing. The things you can do, will be able to do." He wasn't being smug. He was just stating a fact. If this really was my dad, he wouldn't use it against me, to get close to me.**

"**Uh-huh," I said fiercely. "And should we trust you _more_ or _less_ because you know that?"**

**Hurt flashed in his eyes and then he said, "I think that's your decision to make, don't you?" He looked from Dean and then back at me. "Look, we can't talk here, or now, if you wanna get to Sam. But just…after…let me talk to you…explain why I left. And then if you say you don't want anything to do with me, I'll leave. You'll never hear from me again."**

**I closed my eyes, sighing. What was I supposed to do here? I mean, on the one hand…I was mad as hell and didn't wanna waste my time with someone who had abandoned me for most of my life. I mean, even before he'd died, he hadn't been there all the time. He'd gone on _business_ trips, which now I guess they were actually hunting trips. If he was telling the truth. And if he was telling the truth, then he'd been saving lives and I couldn't fault him for that.**

**When I opened my eyes I saw that both Dean and my dad were looking at me, waiting for the answer.**

"**Fine," I said softly. "I don't trust you, just for the record. But you can talk…and I'll listen."**

**Jack looked satisfied. And Dean looked like he knew I'd been going to say that in the first place. Stupid boyfriend.**

"**I don't expect you to trust me," Jack said. "You wouldn't be much of a hunter if you did, now would you?"**

**Then he grinned, and against my best efforts, I did too.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Lafayette, Indiana, we drove around for a little while. Dean was checking out the motels; he knew which ones Sam would pick and those are the ones he checked.**

**We finally ended up at this place called the Blue Rose Motel; the sign had a blue rose and everything. The room Sam was staying in just happened to have the curtains open so we could see in. He had his back to us, but I could still tell it was him.**

"**Well, thank God you're okay," I heard Dean say, relieved. He was still looking in the room's direction. So was I, actually.**

**Sam moved and then I saw a girl in the room with him. She had shoulder-length light brown hair. She was wearing a jacket-vest type thing and jeans. That's all I could tell from this distance.**

**Dean chuckled at the revelation of the girl. "Oh, you're better than okay. Sam, you sly dog!"**

**I shook my head but laughed as well. Such a Dean thing to say. But it didn't set well with me, because Sam wouldn't leave Dean and me just to make time with some chick. Unless she was connected to all this. Possible, I guess.**

**I heard the roar of my dad's Charger behind us and I felt the joy of finding Sam slip away. It was replaced by the anger and confusion about this whole 'Dad's not dead' situation.**

**But then those feelings were kind of misplaced. He said he could explain that, so I decided then and there that I would withhold my anger until he explained and then if he deserved my wrath, he'd get it.**

**Suddenly I heard a gunshot - well, not exactly a gunshot…More like I heard the window in Sam's room shattering because of a bullet -, followed by two more…they'd all been directed at Sam's room. Dean was automatically out of the car, looking in the direction of where the shots had originated from. They had come from the top of a building.**

"**Stay here," Dean said before shutting his door. No problem here; I didn't want to be shot at.**

"**Be careful!" I shouted through the open window on his side.**

**After I was sure there wasn't gonna be anymore random shots fired, I got out of the car and started walking towards Sam's room. I heard a car door close and I knew Jack was following me.**

**When I got to the room - well, the window, actually - I saw that Sam and the girl were on the floor. They didn't seem hurt, though, which was good.**

"**See, this is why you should never go off by yourself." That was how I announced my presence.**

"**Alyson?" Sam stood up. "What're you doin' here?" Then he looked curiously over at my dad. "Who's this?"**

**I took a deep breath. "Well, to answer your first question, I'm lookin' for you, of course," I answered obviously. "And as to the second…it's a long story that I don't know all of, but he's my dad."**

**Sam's eyes widened slightly, but all he said was, "hm."**

**I looked in the girls direction. Sam was helping her up. "Are you okay?"**

"**Yeah," She said. "I'm fine. I'm Ava Wilson."**

"**Hey." I waved slightly. "Alyson Daniels.**

"**Where's Dean?" Sam asked. "Going after the trigger-happy whoever?"**

**I nodded. "Pretty much."**

"**Well, we should go help him," Sam said. "Find out who or what we're dealing with. And how many."**

**Sam grabbed a little tape player off the table and slipped in into his jeans pocket. It looked like the kind that doctors use, or reporters sometimes.**

"**What was that?" I asked.**

"**Scott Carey's psych record. We have his files around here, too. He's a guy that-"**

"**Was stabbed in a parking lot," I finished for him. "Yeah, Ash told us."**

"**I helped him get them," Ava said proudly, referring to the files.**

**I laughed. Way to be enthusiastic, but at least she wasn't freaking out.**

**Sam looked at my dad again. "How much of this do you know?" He probably meant how much had we told him…which was zilch, actually.**

"**Everything," Jack answered simply. "I'm a hunter."**

**Ava looked confused at that, so that probably meant Sam hadn't mention that little detail.**

"**Okay," I said before Sam could ask another question. "Okay, we can finish this up later, yes? We need to find out who shot at you guys."**

**Sam agreed and we went outside and I led them in the same general direction Dean had gone off in. We ended up on the roof of a building. It had tires and those metal trashcans that you can use to burn stuff in. The problem was Dean wasn't there; neither was anyone else.**

**Sam, Jack, Ava, and I started looking around. Ava seemed a little nervous, which was understandable because she'd just been shot at.**

**Sam found bullets on the ground and he picked one up.**

"**Wait, I don't understand," Ava said uncertainly. "Shouldn't we be talking to the cops?"**

"**Trust me, they wouldn't do us much good," Sam answered. He looked at the bullet he'd picked up. "These are .223 caliber, subsonic rounds. The guys must have put a suppressor on the rifle."**

"**Dude!" Ava was incredulous. "Who _are _you?"**

"**Oh, I just…uh, ha, I just watch a lot of _TJ Hooker_."**

**I would have found the scene before me funny if I wasn't inwardly freaking out. I mean, someone had fired those rounds. Dean had come to stop them, and now neither was anywhere to be seen.**

"**Where's Dean?" I asked out loud. "Sam? Where is he?" There was a hint of hysteria in my voice.**

"**We should head back to his car, maybe he's there," Sam suggested.**

"**We would have passed him on the way here," I said. I was panicking, but that didn't mean my basic reasoning skills weren't working.**

"**5637 Monroe Street," Ava said. "I saw it. That's where you are when you die."**

**My eyes widened. "I'm sorry. What? I think I misheard that."**

"**No, you heard right," Sam said. He looked from me to my dad and back. "She's a psychic, like me."**

**Uh-huh. So she was involved like I'd thought.**

"**And she saw you die?"**

"**I saw him get blown up," she specified.**

"**Oh." I breathed out, taking that in. "Anything else you haven't shared with the class, Sam?"**

"**Nope," he said, no guilt in his voice at all. "That's it."**

"**Hm. I should throttle you," I said playfully…sorta. Anyway, I took out my cell phone and dialed Dean's number. I was just keeping hope alive that Dean answered. I mean, there could be a reason why he wasn't here. A reason that wasn't bad.**

**It rang three times and I got an answer. Which was good, I assumed.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Dean?" I said. "Are you okay?"**

"**Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."**

**Relief spread through me, but then I realized I didn't know what else to say. If someone was with him he probably couldn't say much.**

"**Yes or no. Are you alone?"**

"**No."**

"**Can they hear me?"**

"**No." He didn't sound like he was lying.**

"**Can they hear you?"**

"**Yes."**

**This was going swimmingly.**

"**Is Sam okay?" he asked.**

"**He's fine, he's right here. Where are you?"**

"**5637 Monroe Street. Tell Sam to meet me here."**

**I sighed and was gonna say something else but the line disconnected. "Dean?" No answer. Well…damn**

**I turned to Sam, Ava, and my dad. I was actually planning on saying something, but my dad had a sort of interesting look on his face. I mean, he looked interested.**

"**What?" It came out heatedly because the look had been directed at me.**

"**Nothing," he said. "Continue. I'm just gonna go along with whatever you guys do."**

"**Hm." I turned to Sam. "5637 Monroe Street." I looked at Ava. "Like you said."**

**I took a deep breath, readying myself for the argument I knew was coming. "And…Sam, you shouldn't go, it's what whoever has Dean wants. So…I should go."**

"**No way," Sam said vehemently. "Dean's in trouble, I've gotta help him out."**

"**But…my vision. You die," Ava reminded him gently.**

"**I know," Sam said. "But I'm going to change it."**

**Sam started walking, the rest of us going after him, and he led us to Ava's car. A blue punch buggy. I giggled, suddenly being reminded of _Lilo and Stitch._**

"**You should go now," Sam said politely. "I think we can handle it from here."**

**Ava shook her head. "I don't think I should leave."**

"**I want you out of harm's way, Ava," he said firmly.**

"**Well, what about you?"**

"**Harm's way doesn't really bother me," he said. And then he looked like he realized how bad that sounded.**

"**No, but you are walking right into my vision. I mean, this is how you die!"**

"**Doesn't matter. He's my brother."**

**Ava's face brightened. "Maybe I can help."**

"**You've done all you can. Just…just go back to your fiancé."**

**Now she looked crestfallen. "Are you sure?"**

"**Yes, I'm sure." Sam seemed amused yet annoyed at the same time, like when Dean and I banter playfully back and forth. "Go home, Ava. You'll be safe there."**

**He opened the door of her blue Volkswagen and she got in. She got her keys out and put them into the ignition. **

"**Well," she turned to us, "just promise me you'll call, then. I mean, when you get your brother, just to let me know everything's all right."**

**Sam smiled slightly. "I promise." He meant it.**

**------------- -**

**We were in the Impala now. Yes, Jack too. He was in the front seat because I didn't trust him to be in the back. He could've done something sneaky if we weren't looking.**

**Anyway, we'd gone back for the files on Scott Carey before we'd left, and I was going through them while listening to one of the sessions he'd had with some guy named Dr. Waxler.**

"**_Don't be afraid, Scott. You can tell me anything, you know that."_ Waxler was only saying that because he was getting paid. He didn't sound like he really cared. He sounded bored, actually. _"Whatever you say won't leave this room."_**

"**Well, that was a lie," I muttered to myself. Oh, and I had my earphones in so that Jack couldn't hear it. I wasn't doing it to spite him. I just didn't trust him. And the only reason he was coming with us right now was because we didn't know who or what we were dealing with.**

"**_It started a little over a year ago,"_ I heard Scott say, bringing me out of my thoughts. _"Migraines, at first. Then I found…I could do…stuff."_**

"_**What do you mean 'do stuff'?"**_** Waxler didn't sound interested at all.**

"**_I have this ability. When I touch something…I can electrocute it if I want."_**

**There was a pause. Then, _"how do you know?"_**

"**_I did it to the neighbor's cat. It's insides fried up like a hamburger."_ Ew.**

**Dr. Waxler didn't say anything.**

"**_You don't believe me."_ Scott made it a statement, not a question. It sounded like he'd suspected as much.**

"**_I believe that you believe it,"_ Waxler said.**

"**_Then here. Let's shake on it."_**

**There was a long pause and I half-expected to hear the sound of sizzling flesh. But I didn't.**

"**_Why would you wanna kill the neighbors cat, Scott."_ Way to dodge a bullet there, Doc.**

"**_I don't,"_ Scott whispered. _"He wants me to, and he doesn't want me to stop there."_**

"**_Who?"_**

"**_The yellow-eyed man. He comes to me in my dreams, tells me to do things awful things. I tell him no. No, I don't want to."_**

"_**What else does the yellow-eyed man tell you?"**_

**Another long pause. Then, _"he has plans for me."_**

"_**What kind of plans?"**_

"_**He says there's a war coming. And people like me…we're gonna be the soldiers. Everything's about to change."**_

**I stopped the tape there and took the earphones off and leaned towards the front seat. "Have you listened to this? About the war coming…or whatever?"**

"**Yeah," Sam answered. "Why?"**

"**Do you believe it?"**

**He shrugged noncommittally. "I dunno."**

"**I believe it," Jack said. "The demon's believe it."**

**I bit my lip. "How do you know this stuff?" I asked curiously. "It's just…you randomly popped into my life. You said you know everything yet you haven't given me any proof at all that it's true. And I wanna know how you know and why you decided to come back now. Or at all, for that matter."**

"**People talk," Jack said, turning to face me. "_Demons_ talk."**

"**About this war?" Sam asked, parking the car. We were parking about a block away from where we were supposed to be so they wouldn't hear us coming. So we started walking.**

"**Among other things, yeah." He looked at Sam. "Like the demons think you're some kind of Anti-Christ. I'm sure some hunters know about your visions now, too."**

**I tensed up just a little bit. Some hunters wouldn't take kindly to that because some people believed that psychics weren't fully human. Let alone the whole Anti-Christ bit.**

"**Yeah? And what else do hunters know?" I asked tersely.**

"**Relax," Jack said. "I don't base my opinions on what other people say. I take my own notes, make my own judgments."**

"**Guys, we're almost there. We should talk about this later," Sam said.**

**We were nearing an old dilapidated building that had cracks in the wood. Apparently, this building predated sheetrock.**

**Anyway, there was an old red car parked out front that was familiar in a very bad way.**

"**Gordon Walker," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. Hadn't he learned not to mess with us the last time when we'd left him tied up for three days?**

**We walked up to the building silently and peeked through one of the cracks in the wood. We saw Dean tied to a chair securely - there was no way he was getting free, himself. And he was gagged, too. Gordon was to his right and he seemed to be there by himself, so he was outnumbered big time. If Jack was really on our side, that is. I was okay with those odds. Great with them, actually.**

**I saw Sam take out his cell phone and walk away. Yeah, he had it back now that we'd found him. I followed him away from the building.**

"**Who're you calling?" I whispered.**

"**The cops."**

**Right. Gordon was human and it would be wrong to kill him. Even though he'd kidnapped Dean. But Dean didn't look hurt at all. He was just tied up. Now, if Dean had been hurt, we'd have an entirely different story on our hands.**

**I caught movement in my peripheral vision, and looked to see Jack moving toward the side of the building. Without asking or telling what he was doing.**

"**Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where're are you going?" I moved quickly to catch up with him.**

"**In there," he said, nodding to the building.**

"**Um, no, you're not. If you mess up you could get Dean hurt. You could get _everybody_ hurt. Including yourself. And you haven't explained anything yet so that's not an option."**

"**So, what you're saying is the father has to ask permission from the daughter?"**

"**When the father has a questionable past…absolutely."**

**Jack didn't take offense, but he did wait for whatever Sam and I were gonna do. And _I_ was waiting for Sam to get done with whatever he was telling the cops.**

"**So…how long have you known about demons and stuff?"**

"**It was after you were born, when you were ten."**

**I scoffed. "When you left. Right. I'm glad you thought hunting was more important than raising your daughter," I replied scathingly. Then I thought about it. "Did Mom know? About demons, I mean?"**

"**No," Jack said, and I could tell he wasn't lying. "Your mother was sweet and strong, but I don't think she could've handled it."**

"**Are you sure? I mean, she knew I'd be able to do stuff."**

"**Well, if she did, she never let me know. Just like I didn't let her know."**

**The conversation ended and we stayed silent until Sam reached us.**

**Sam ended up saying we should go through the back - where Ava had seen him get blown up - and get rid of the explosives first. I, however, wasn't sure about that. I mean, the building we were gonna be in was old and it looked like it could collapse in on itself. The force of the blow could make it do just that. But I didn't have any other ideas aside from going through the front door, which…no. That could get me shot, or Dean, which was worse since he couldn't heal.**

**Sam tried to open the door, but it was locked so he had to pick it first. After it opened he told me to wait outside until he was sure it was safe. He give me a signal and I'd know when I heard it. And then he went in.**

**About five seconds later, I heard the explosion and covered my ears.**

**_Please don't let the building collapse_, I thought. Or prayed might be a better word.**

**Anyway, I looked inside to make sure Sam was okay. He was; he'd take cover behind an old desk. And he was doing _something_, I couldn't quite tell what, but then there was a second explosion, which sounded even louder than the first.**

**Sam looked my way, gesturing for me to stay where I was and I nodded to show I understood. I'd stay outside until it was safe. Or until I was needed. Whichever came first.**

"**So, you'll listen to him, but you won't listen to me?" Jack still didn't sound offended; he was just observing.**

**I grinned slightly. "Definitely." I knew Sam. I _trusted_ Sam.**

**I saw Gordon come into the back room with a rifle. He was looking around, probably for Sam, who was still behind the desk. Only, he was taking his gun out now.**

**I automatically took mine out, too. I carried one with me at all times now unless we were somewhere I thought I could get caught with it.**

**Gordon's back was now to Sam, and I saw Sam stand up. I knew he was pointing the gun at his head, I could tell by his stance. I couldn't hear if anything was being said.**

"**Put it down, now!" I heard Sam shout. I assumed he'd asked politely before, I just hadn't been able to hear him.**

**Gordon actually listened, which was amazing, but then he was turning around and grabbing Sam's arm, doing that move that brings the enemy closer so you can elbow him in the stomach.**

**Then Sam was being punched repeatedly and it happened so quick that I didn't have time to react. But then Sam was pushed through a piece of a wall and he was on the floor barely moving.**

**That's when I reacted. Gordon's back was to me now so I hurriedly snuck up on him.. He was kneeling by Sam, raising a knife and I grabbed his wrist, hard. The only reason I could get away with it was because I'd had the element of surprise.**

**But anyway, those years in self-defense had taught the different pressure points on a body. How to crush tendons and snap bones effortlessly.**

"**Drop the knife or I'll break your wrist." I moved to where I could twist his arm back to hold it against his back. Made it easier to maneuver his wrist. So much for needing a gun. You hurt someone enough, they'll do what you want. The knife fell to the floor and I kicked it away.**

**I heard Sam cough and glanced at him. His left lip was bleeding, and he had a cut on his cheek. His nose was bleeding, too.**

**I saw him open his eyes and then he was grabbing Gordon, flipping him over onto the floor. Sam was the one doling out the punishment now. He hit Gordon a couple times, making sure he was gonna stay down. Sam stood up, grabbing the sniper rifle on the way. He aimed it at Gordon and then glanced at me.**

"**Thanks for that."**

**I nodded. "Don't mention it." I looked him up and down. He had plaster all over his clothes. "You okay?"**

"**Yeah, go help Dean."**

"**Yeah, okay." I shifted my gaze from him to Gordon and back. "Don't be afraid to shoot his kneecaps off."**

**I was half-joking, but at least he wouldn't be able to come after us again. I mean, he couldn't dance without those.**

**Anyway, I went in the front room and saw Dean there, still tied up. So I hurried to him, taking the gag out of his mouth first.**

"**Sam's fine. More or less," I said before he could ask. "He's taking care of Gordon."**

**I undid one of the ropes that was on his arms and he undid the other one. I reached for the rope on his legs, but then saw Sam come in. He looked tired. Poor guy.**

**Anyway, back to Dean. Untie first, feel sorry for Sammy later. After Dean was free, he stood up taking a look at Sam's injuries.**

"**Son of a bitch," Dean was hot, in the mad way. He turned to go into the back room where Gordon was, but Sam stopped him.**

"**I let him live once, I'm not making the same mistake twice." Dean was serious; I didn't blame him.**

"**Trust me," Sam said. "Gordon's taken care of." Sam grabbed Dean by the shirt. "Come on."**

**We walked outside and I saw my dad waiting by the curb. I suddenly wondered why he hadn't helped, so I asked.**

"**Because you told me not to go in there."**

"**And you listened?" I was surprised.**

"**Well, I have to gain your trust somehow, Don't I? Besides, everyone's in one piece so it can't be too bad, right?" Then all traces of joking left his voice. "If I'd thought you needed help I would've done something."**

**And for some odd reason that made no sense at all…I believed him.**

**And then we were being shot at. By Gordon. And we had to run. There was a big ditch up ahead and that's what we ran for. All four of us.**

"**You call this 'taken care of'?" Dean yelled as he dove for the ditch. Then there was Sam, me, then Jack. "What the hell are we doin'?" Dean asked, probably referring to the hiding bit.**

"**Just trust me on this, all right?" Sam said.**

**Yet we were still being shot at. Continuously. And then there were sirens and the shooting stopped. I peeked out and saw two cop cars. There was a few officers outside their cars and they were pointing guns at Gordon.**

"**Drop you weapons! Get down on your knees. Do it, now!"**

**Gordon had no option but to listen. Best part, though, was that Gordon looked absolutely livid. And another good thing was that his car was right there and the police found the arsenal in between the seats.**

"**Anonymous tip," Sam said and I grinned. In all the excitement I'd forgotten he was the one who had called the police in the first place.**

"**You're a fine, upstanding citizen, Sam," Dean said, and they both smiled.**

**It gave us a happy to see Gordon get arrested.**

**------------- -**

**By the time we made it to the Impala, Sam's face had stopped bleeding, but it needed to be cleaned. So it was time to get the trusty first aid kit out of the trunk.**

**I couldn't do much about his nose or his lip besides getting the blood off him, but I put a bandage on his cut on his cheek after cleaning it.**

**And Dean had a big old bruise above his eye where he said Gordon had struck him with the butt of the rifle, but there was nothing I could to for that. **

**All the while Jack was watching on, maybe admiring how gentle I was being with the guys.**

"**What?"**

"**Nothing." He sounded soft-spoken. "I'm just remembering all the times I've been hurt. I regret not having someone there to pick up the pieces."**

"**Oh." I didn't know what else to say about that, so I looked back at Sam. "Well, he's hardly broken. And he doesn't need to be fixed."**

**That was when Dean started talking. "So…Jack? Gordon said he had Roadhouse connections. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"**

"**It wasn't me," he said. "I overheard Sam, Ash, and Ellen talking. Other hunters could have, too."**

"**Great," I said sarcastically. "Not only do we have to worry about supernatural things, now we have to worry about other hunters, too?"**

**Anyway, Dean decided to call Ellen to tell her what had happened and see if she knew who had told Gordon.**

**Jack and I began talking about just random things. I didn't want to get into the hard stuff until we either stopped somewhere private - not that this spot wasn't private - or a motel to stay in. I wanted Dean to hear it, too, instead of being focused on talking to Ellen.**

"**So, you graduated, huh?" he asked.**

"**June. I was in the top ten percent of my class. I had a 3.75 GPA." I had hated the redundancy of school, but I had still done well in it. And I wasn't bragging, either. Jack hadn't been there, so there was no way he could've known that. I was just letting him in on the fact that I'd done well in school.**

"**Yeah, he almost killed us 'cause somebody over there can't keep their freakin' mouth shut!" Dean yelled and I couldn't help but overhear him.**

"**And you and Dean are…" Jack trailed off.**

"**Oh, my goodness. Do hunters talk about _that,_ too?" I was exasperated and embarrassed. I felt like a girl talking to her dad about boys…**

**Jack laughed. It was so lighthearted and…pure. Like he didn't have a care in the world. "No. That was just an observation I made."**

"**Oh." Even more embarrassment. "Am I that transparent?"**

"**Yes," Sam said. "Even aside from your almost freak out earlier…it's definitely obvious."**

**Sam had been sitting sideways out the passenger side door, but he was now getting up and taking his cell phone out of his front pocket. I glanced a question at him.**

"**Ava," he said answering my nonverbal question. "She wanted me to call, remember?"**

"**Right."**

**Jack looked over at Dean, who was still on the phone. He wasn't saying anything, so Ellen must have been.**

"**He seems like a good guy. Though he's a little old for you, don't you think?"**

**I didn't say anything for a minute, but then I had to say it. Because we needed to get this straight now.**

"**Okay. Number one, age doesn't matter when you love someone. _Nothing_ matters when you love someone. You can't help who fall in love with; you don't get a choice in that."**

**Jack began holding his hands out in a sign of surrender, a sign that he hadn't meant to offend me.**

"**Okay, sorry I brought it up. But just for the record, I said he seems like a good guy."**

"**Yes, and he is. But then you said he was too old for me. And I'm eighteen now, so it doesn't matter. It's not illegal for me to be with someone who's older than myself." Technically I could be sixteen and still go out with someone that was Dean's age, you're just not legally supposed to be having sex with someone if you were a minor and they're not. But we weren't having sex, and I wasn't a minor so…yeah**

**I watched as Dean flipped his phone shut and he walked over to me. The tension between my dad and me was so thick it would take a _very_ sharp knife to cut through it and Dean seemed to be able to feel it.**

"**What did Ellen say?" I asked, changing the subject.**

"**Basically that she can't control what people do or believe and she wasn't the one who told Gordon."**

"**Oh. Helpful."**

"**Really," Dean replied.**

**The next phone to go was Sam's. "I didn't get an answer," Sam said.**

"**From who?" Dean asked.**

"**Ava," I said. "She's the girl Sam was with at the motel. She's another psychic. She saw Sam die."**

**Dean chocked on his own spit. "What?"**

"**Yeah," I said, glaring at Sam. "That was pretty much _my_ response. Those explosions? He was supposed to get blown up. And I told him not to go, to let _me_ go, but no. Sam and stubborn are pretty much synonyms."**

**Sam stared at me with the same look he'd given Ava earlier. Part amusement, part annoyance. "You're the little sister who likes telling on her siblings so they'll get in trouble."**

"**Only when the older brother does something really stupid that could end up getting him killed."**

"**Okay." Dean got between us. "I'm gonna be referee-guy here and step in before you really start to argue."**

**Sam and I both grinned. We hadn't really been going to fight, I didn't think. But who knew?**

"**I'm gonna try Ava again," Sam said, going to stand a few feet away.**

**Anyway, that left Jack, Dean, and me alone. And I asked the question I'd been dying to ask since he'd found me.**

"**Why did you leave?" It wasn't a heated question. It wasn't a simple question. The way I'd asked let him know how hurt I was by this whole abandonment issue. And that's where most of the heated comments had come from - pain. "I mean, if you knew about me, about the fact that these things would come after me, why would you leave?"**

**Jack - Dad - looked like he was weighing his words, trying to figure out what to say and how not to upset me.**

"**You don't have to treat me like glass," I said quietly. "I won't break." I moved closer to Dean, though, and grabbed at the sleeve of his jacket.**

"**Okay," he began. "I left to protect you." He paused, again weighing his words.**

**I saw Sam step back over to us and he had a worried expression on his face. "Everything okay?"**

"**Yeah, I hope so." He didn't sound to certain. He looked at my dad now, who was having an expression. "What's going on?"**

"**He was just explaining why he left," Dean said. Then he looked at me. "Are you sure you wanna do this now, and not later at a motel where you can be alone?"**

"**I don't wanna be alone," I said. "Not really. And besides, you guys deserve to know this, too."**

**I turned back to Jack, giving him my almost full attention. "So you were saying something about protecting me?"**

"**Right," he said. "How much do you know about yourself?"**

"**Not much," I admitted. "Mostly what Mom told me in a letter she left. Um, I learned some from demons. And…my abilities, well, they're unpredictable. I pretty much learn them as I go."**

"**Right. Well, did Elizabeth say anything about a prophecy? About you?"**

**My mind flashed back to the letter. "You mean the Warrior of Light business?"**

"**Yeah. Not a lot of people know about that. Some religious fanatics. A few hunters. Some demons who got their hands on the prophecy."**

**I sighed. "What does this have to do with you leaving?"**

"**That prophecy is why I left. I was looking for it. I was…I was gonna destroy it, so no one else could find it. So you'd be safe. Because it's not probable that a demon would've known about you if I'd have found it in time. And your mother would still be alive."**

**Okay, this was getting to me. Definitely. So he better not be lying or I'd kick him so hard his privates would come out of his nose. Sorry, for the imagery there.**

"**But why did you start looking in the first place?" I asked. "I mean, you left when I was ten, so you couldn't have known about me until then."**

**Jack nodded. "True." He tried looking anywhere but at me and then he settled his gaze on Dean. "Can we talk as we drive? I need to get back to my car. I have a feeling she's gonna want me to leave after I tell her everything."**

"**What do you mean?" I asked breathlessly.**

**Jack looked upwards, like maybe he was asking for help from God, whom I didn't even know if he believed in.**

"**I mean, it's my fault your mom is dead. It's because of me."**

**He sounded sad when he said it, so he wasn't taunting me or bragging. I found myself hoping that what he said wasn't true. I was hoping he wasn't directly responsible for my mom's death. Because even thought Dad had been gone and I was mad - pissed - that he'd left, I found myself praying that I wouldn't have to send him away.**

* * *

Hey, readers. I think my reviewers are on vacation because I didn't get many these last few updates. Anyway, what do you think about Jack? Do you like him, do you not like him? Let me know what you think.


	25. Dealing with the Truth

**Leigh: I'm glad you love this story. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm proud of it, myself...I'm glad you like Alyson because, to be honest, I was nervous to do an OFC fan fic at first. People are so protective of the guys. Not that I blame them. Anyway, yeah, I agree with you on the Dean part. That's how I picture Dean to be if he was in a relationship...and even if they were just friends, he'd still be more honest with her than Sam. Anyway, rant over. LOL. I'm happy you reviewed and please continue. Thanks.**

**Dealing with the Truth**

"**What do you mean, it's your fault?" We were in the car now, going back to the Blue Rose Motel. "Why would you say that?"**

**Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "When I found out about you being what you are, I didn't believe it at all. Until I met my first demon. Some low-level flunky. Didn't know about you. I saw it being exorcised."**

"**Why? How?" I was the one asking the questions, but both the guys were listening intently. Sam was turned towards us, and Dean was driving but still paying attention to what was being said. They were both seeing if they could catch him in a lie.**

"**When you were ten," he started, "a guy named Jim Murphy came to see me." That name sounded familiar. "He was a pastor of some church…somewhere. I don't remember where. I mean, it's a moot point now, anyway. He died last year."**

"**Salvation, Iowa," Dean said, supplying the details. "Yeah, we were there. We didn't see him, but a demon told us. Wanted to scare us into giving away the Colt."**

**Jack smiled slightly. "Yeah, I heard you guys had it. And lost it." His expression got serious again. "Anyway, don't ask me how he found out, but he knew about you. He said he and a bunch of other hunters figured it out. I didn't believe him, of course. I mean, what parent don't want their kid to do somethin' great? But that was just a bit much for me."**

"**And then you saw a demon?" Sam asked cautiously.**

"**Yep. And if that wasn't a wake up call, I don't know what is." Jack laughed. It wasn't bitter, but it wasn't humorous either. "Jim did a special exorcism, just for me. He said he had to show me that the threat was real. That if the wrong people or the demons found out…you'd be in danger. And to put this bluntly…the only reason you're alive is because you've been moving around so much."**

**I didn't doubt that. "So you left after you saw the exorcism?"**

"**Right. I mean, Jim explained that prophecies are usually recorded somehow. Written mostly by the prophets themselves, or someone who heard it. And your…prophecy…must have been ancient. I mean, it wasn't even on paper. It was on a stone tablet."**

**I laughed once or twice. "You mean, like, the Ten Commandments? That kind of stone tablet?"**

"**Yes," he said simply. "Exactly."**

"**Hm," Dean spoke up again. "So someone _very_ long ago had a prophecy of someone who's alive today? Why?"**

"**And I wonder what else they saw?" Sam wondered out loud. "I mean, people from way back when would probably think a _car_ was a demon."**

**Jack smiled again, briefly. "Jim taught me everything I know about demons and hunting. Anyway, we'd go places, hunt different things. Until I was good enough to go by myself. And what I told your mom about me liking to travel…well, that was true. Before you were born, your mother and I used to go everywhere. And then when she got pregnant we stopped." He paused, looking at me. "I never would've left just to travel. I loved your mom, and you were my little girl."**

**I ignored that comment for the moment. "But…I remember you guys started to argue. A lot." One day he'd said that he was going to leave so they wouldn't fight anymore. It wasn't good for me to be around that.**

**Jack didn't deny it. "Yeah, we did. But every couple has their rough spots. We argued because I was gearing myself up for when I had to leave. And your mom…Elizabeth…she was strong, but she hated change. You know that."**

"**Yeah." I laughed when a memory came to me. "She cried when I started high school. It's like I was going away to college or something."**

**Sadness flashed in his eyes. Because he hadn't been there. "Yeah, that sounds like her."**

**I saw the blue rose on the sign for the motel, and then we were parking in front of it, near Dad's Charger.**

"**So I left, learned how to hunt, never got properly divorced, until I was supposed to be dead. I didn't even have to take on a new identity since I move around so much."**

**Now that Dean wasn't driving, he was looking at us, too. "What did you do for those four years before you _pretended_ to die?" That was Dean. It sounded like it was an affront to him that Jack had left me when I was ten.**

"**Learned to hunt. I went back to visit once or twice a year." Jack looked back at me again. "Brought you a few trinkets meant to protect you, but I couldn't tell you that at the time without you asking questions. That I couldn't answer. Brought you books, too. On things that went bump in the night."**

**I laughed at the way he'd put it. "Your way of telling me without actually telling me?"**

"**Yeah." Jack grinned, though it didn't meet his eyes. "I didn't even know if you would read them, but I got them, just in case."**

**I nodded. "I read them. And bought more where they came from. Scared myself senseless a few times reading about demons and stuff."**

**Dean and Sam already knew that I'd been interested in the supernatural world, they just hadn't known why. Turns out it wasn't so different from them or Jo Harvelle. I did it because it had been a way to be close to my dad. He'd brought me books and I'd read them. He'd bought me necklaces and bracelets and I'd worn them for a while, until I'd grown tired of them. And then when I'd thought he'd been dead, I hadn't touched either. And then his memory had faded a little every day, until I didn't feel any obligation to read the books or wear the bracelets.**

"**Anyway, you'll never believe it, but that prophecy we found-"**

"**You did find it?" I asked, excited. I mean, he'd said it was on a stone table, but that could've just been hearsay. "Did you destroy it like you meant to?"**

"**A demon found it first," he said regretfully. "Yellow-eyes."**

**I'd figured. "That's the one that came after me." The one that killed my mom. Well, sent someone to kill her, anyway.**

"**He was supposed to leave you alone until you were eighteen," Dad said. "That was part of the deal. I was supposed to stay away from you, and he-"**

"**Wait, wait, wait," Dean interrupted. "Deal?" He paused. "Metaphorical or literal?"**

"**Very literal. But it doesn't hold now because we both broke it."**

"**What?" I whispered. "How? And why?"**

"**Well, the prophecy…Jim somehow heard that it was underneath a monastery in Rome. It had been an underground cave and they built right over it. I think they knew about it, the monks did. They led us right to it. But the demon was already there. And I don't know how, but he could sense that I was, well, related to you."**

"**And what? You gave him my name?" I didn't understand. He'd said that it was his fault Mom was dead. I hadn't heard anything that would make me think that.**

"**No, of course not. He already knew your name. That prophecy was very specific about the lineage of the person who'd be the Warrior of Light. Was very specific that you'd be a girl. He just didn't know where you were. The prophecy wasn't specific about where you were." He sighed. "I had an ability, too. I could remove demons from a body…with my mind. I didn't know that I could do it until a couple years after I started hunting. It made exorcisms a hell of a lot easier."**

**I blinked a few times, not getting it. "Well, why didn't you remove _him_? Yellow-eyes?"**

"**Because he's stronger than me." Again he was regretful. "And I could only do low-level demons. Azazel is definitely higher up on the demon food chain."**

"**Oh." This was new. "So do I have abilities because _you_ had abilities." He'd been talking about it in the past tense, so I did too.**

**Jack laughed again. "I don't think so. I mean, you might have been able to expel demons, but not everything else. I know you can heal, and sense when something weird is around. I also know you blew the windows out of a church in Alabama. Recently. That's actually how I picked up your trail."**

"**Oh." Not very intelligent, I know, but that's all I could think of. Well, that sucked. I mean, if a hunter could tell that it was me, then a demon probably could, too.**

"**Anyway, Jim was in the middle of a really powerful exorcism. I mean, the cave walls felt like they were about to fall down around us, and the demon let something slip. That he was scared of you. You could kill him once you're strong enough."**

"**Yeah, we've heard that before," Dean said.**

"**You weren't supposed to come into your abilities until you were eighteen. That's the normal time for you, but that demon triggered something, made you start earlier." He bit his lip before continuing. Something I was known for doing. "He said that Hell couldn't hold him in for long. And when he got out he was going to kill you. And that's when I knew I had to do something."**

"**So…you made a deal?" I asked breathlessly. "You sold your soul?"**

"**No," he said. "Though that had been my first offer, but he didn't want my soul. It wasn't important enough, turns out. He wanted my ability, he didn't want me to have it. I could get stronger, take him out in an instant."**

"**So you gave up the demon-expelling thing…for what?" Dean asked. "You gave it up…and he…why?"**

"**To make it where he didn't come after Alyson until she was eighteen."**

"**Well, it didn't work," I said sharply. Honestly, what was with people selling their souls? "At all."**

"**I know. And that's my fault. See, usually, a demon's word is their bond. They can't break a binding contract. But I'm the one who broke it. The deal was that I was to never see you again, -this was when you were fourteen, around the time I was supposed to have died- and I had to give up my ability. And his end was he wasn't to tell anyone or anything about you, he wasn't supposed to come after you himself or send anyone to kill you, or harm you in any way. You were supposed to be safe."**

"**Then what happened?" I asked, voice soft again.**

"**Near the beginning of June, I decided to come after you. I'd heard that he'd found out where you were. I needed to gain your trust before your abilities developed. Needed to make you understand the danger you were in. I guess the demon found out…and he got there first."**

**I swallowed. "And then when you got there, I'd already left."**

"**Right. I talked to Layla. I don't think she remembered me. She thought I was a cop. And she told me you left with two guys named Sam and Dean. She didn't tell me where. And I knew that you were safe, that you wouldn't leave with just two random guys. You were always level-headed, even when you were younger. You had wise eyes, like you could see through to the heart of things."**

**I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't even know how I was supposed to feel about that.**

**So finally I just settled for asking another question. "Why did you come for me?"**

"**This is gonna sound bad, like I think you're a weapon of some kind." Jack took another deep breath. "But I was gonna train you. Get you strong enough to kill that demon," he said it resentfully, like maybe he didn't think I should have to hear this from him. That I shouldn't have that put on me. "If you want to, that is. I can't make you."**

**And, wow. This was a lot to take in. I think it was giving me a headache. I even rubbed my temples for affect, giving myself time to think. "I feel like I have a hangover, only instead of alcohol being the problem, it's information overload."**

"**What was the point in making that deal?" I asked, after a while. "What did it accomplish?"**

"**It kept you alive," Jack said softly. "You're here now. He wasn't supposed to touch you until you turned eighteen. I told you, you would've come into your powers then. You would've at least had a chance. I didn't know it would trigger it. I didn't know a demon would."**

**I thought about it. I didn't know how to react, still.**

"**I don't think Mom's death is your fault," I said softly. It was true. Chances were she would have died anyway. And even if I didn't believe that, it was no use blaming him now. It wouldn't bring her back. Nothing would. "And I don't know if I can learn to control this thing with you around. I mean, sometimes when I'm feeling something, the power will just build up and if I don't let it out then…it's like an explosion. I mean, you heard about the windows." I smiled slightly. "Anyway, my point is that I have conflicting emotions about you. And I don't want to accidentally hurt you or something."**

"**Oh." He didn't sound disappointed. He'd said it was up to me from the start, and that it was my decision. I mean, yes, I wanted - needed - to learn how to control my abilities, but I wasn't gonna risk him getting hurt because of it.**

**------------- -**

**Sam, Dean, and I were now parked in an Arby's parking lot. It was near closing so we'd just gotten the food and were gonna eat it in the car. I wasn't all that hungry, so I'd just gotten curly fries and a drink.**

**Jack was in the parking lot, too. I think he was waiting for me to make a decision about him; whether I wanted him around or not.**

**I bit my lip, took a sip of my Pepsi, and handed Dean the rest of my fries. "Here. I'm not hungry."**

**Dean took them without a word, but I saw him give me a look. A 'you haven't eaten all day, so you should eat something now' look.**

"**I'm gonna go talk to him," I said, taking my drink with me. "I need to tell him _something_." I opened the back door. "Oh, and if he starts to drive off with me, feel free to shoot him. A lot."**

"**Yeah, no problem," Dean said nonchalantly, causing me to laugh.**

**Anyway, I got out and went to the electric blue Charger and got into the front seat. I didn't shut the door, however. Leather interior just like the Impala.**

"**So," I started. "I've been thinkin' and I don't know what to say aside from the fact that I understand why you left, and faked your death and everything. And…uh, I wouldn't hate it if you tried to become a part of my life again."**

**I saw the hope flare in his eyes and his eyes wrinkled at the sides when he smiled.**

**And I just had to let him know the truth here. "I'm not saying I trust you. I'm just saying I'm giving you a chance to earn it."**

**Jack nodded. "That's more than I expected. You've matured into a very nice young woman. And I know it won't mean much, but the way you handle yourself, the way you're handling this…it makes me proud. The only thing I regret is the fact that the way you've turned out has nothing to do with me."**

**That wasn't true. The reason I had had to learn to take care of myself at an early age was because he'd left. I mean, mom had always been irresponsible, but the only reason I'd had to become the grownup was because _he_ hadn't been there. But I didn't know if he would take that as a compliment or an insult, so I didn't say any of it out loud.**

**------------- -**

**When I got back to the Impala I could hear through the window that Sam and Dean were talking about…Amsterdam. What?**

"**Come on, man. I hear the coffee shops don't even serve coffee."**

**I got in the backseat again, still with my drink, and tried to pick up on their conversation.**

"**Dean…" Sam was saying. "I'm not just gonna ditch the job."**

"**Screw the job," Dean replied seriously, if not a little fiercely. "Screw it, man. I'm sick of the job anyway. We don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get is bad luck."**

**I moved forward, sticking my head between them. "We don't do this to get paid or thanked. We do it because we _can_, because we know how to. Because we can save people. I mean, I get wanting to do fun stuff and wanting to live a little bit. But, Dean, you know as well as I do that you could never just sit idly by and watch people die, not if you knew how to save them. You'd never forgive yourself if you did that."**

"**And, come on, dude. You're a hunter," Sam said, trying to cheer him up. "It's what you were meant to do."**

"**No, I wasn't meant to do anything," Dean countered quickly. "I don't believe in that destiny crap."**

"**You mean you don't believe in _my_ destiny."**

**Dean looked at him and then back out the windshield. "Well, whatever."**

"**Look, Dean, I've tried running before." Sam was saying this gently, knowing Dean knew this already, but needing to say it anyway. "I mean, I tried running all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me."**

**Dean looked back at Sam. "I can try."**

"**Thanks for that," Sam said sincerely.**

**I settled back in the seat figuring that the argument was over.**

"**Look, Dean, I'm gonna keep huntin'. I mean, whatever's comin', I'm taking it head on. So, if you really wanna watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around."**

**I could basically hear Dean cussing in his head because Sam knew how to trap him with that.**

"**Bitch," Dean said.**

"**Jerk," Sam's routine response came.**

**I smiled and went back to drinking my drink, which I noticed was all ice now. I took the top off and put a piece of ice in my mouth.**

**I got out of the car again, closing the door and leaning up against it. It didn't take long for Dean to get out beside me.**

**I looked up at the sky. The stars were visible here and they were nice to look at. There was a field across the way that looked smooth and green.**

"**What do you want for your birthday?" I asked.**

**Dean looked at me, his expression guarded. "Why?"**

"**Because it's like a week away and I need some ideas." I took a deep breath and sighed. "Really, I was gonna surprise you by renting out a place in the mountains or somewhere warm by a lake for, like, a week. But now with Dad here, I think that would be a little awkward. I mean, we share a bed and he might get the wrong impression."**

"**You were gonna do that for me?"**

"**Yes. I thought it would be nice." I took two pieces of ice out and stuck one in my mouth then let my hand fall to my side. It was a big piece of ice and it would melt slowly. "We can still do that for, like, a day or two if you want. You can pick a place and Sam I will take care of the rest."**

**Dean looked like he was debating it, and my hand was getting cold now. I placed my cup on the ground and then turned to face Dean. I pulled him towards me by his belt loops on his jeans, and he suddenly looked very interested.**

"**So, what do you want?" I whispered…and then before he could answer I dropped the ice into his jeans. It almost hadn't worked; his jeans were snug against his waist. But I pulled and there had been a little slack.**

**The look on his face was comical. It was between stunned and disbelief that I'd gotten one over on him. That was, until his mind registered the fact that something cold was in his pants.**

"**Oh, I'm gonna get you for that." He was grinning, and I started running. I figured he'd try to get the ice out first, but anyway, I was heading towards the field, thinking in my head that if he were an enemy that would be a stupid thing to do…diving into wide open space like that.**

**But Dean wasn't my enemy, and I didn't mind him catching me. And I could hear him behind me, so I guess he didn't get the ice out beforehand. Then he was grabbing me around the waist and pulling me back to him. I shrieked gleefully and then my back hit his chest gently, but firmly, and he was wrapping his arms around me from behind and I grabbed onto them.**

**I didn't try to get free, though. I happened to like being in his arms. It wouldn't have worked anyway, unless I tried to hurt him, but I wasn't gonna do that. I mean, he was stronger than me physically, and his arms were comfortably tight around my waist.**

"**You are a thing of evil for doing that," Dean whispered, turning me around and lowering us to the ground.**

"**Hey, I'm a good girlfriend and you know it."**

"**Best girlfriend," he corrected lightly. He was still whispering and he sounded so sincere when he said it. It almost brought tears to my eyes.**

**And we were kissing now. It was slow, just like the one we'd had the day before. Not really any passion behind it, just like enjoying being with each other.**

**It didn't really bother me that my dad may have been watching because as I'd said before…he hadn't been there and I wasn't gonna change my life now just because he was back.**

**------------- -**

"**So," I started. "You never did tell me what you wanted."**

**We were on the ground in the field full of grass, sitting together. My back was to him, and I was resting against his chest. I was between his legs and he had his arms wrapped around me. We'd laid there for a while, but then we'd decided to sit up.**

"**That's because the last time you asked, I ended up with ice in a very bad place." He didn't sound mad, just amused. "But, seriously…you don't have to do anything special. We didn't do anything for yours."**

**I tilted my head up to look at him. "You were in the hospital for my birthday," I reminded him gently.**

"**Exactly. So, bad birthday. I didn't do anything for you so…" he trailed off.**

**This was about him not wanting to accept something from someone else. He could help everybody, but he didn't like generosity being wasted on him. Well, screw that.**

**I turned around in his arms. "Yes, you did," I said earnestly. "You gave me you."**

**If Dean were the blushing type that's what he would've been doing, I was sure. And then he was chuckling almost humorlessly.**

"**It's funny you sayin' that."**

"**Why?" I was confused.**

"**Because I seriously think I would _die_ if I didn't have you." That was one of the most open, honest things he'd said to me in a while. About our relationship, anyway. "You…and Sam…you make things easier. If I didn't have you guys…" he trailed off. But he didn't have to say anything else, I got it.**

**I smiled slightly. "But I get bonus points for not leaving, right?"**

**He smiled, too, relieved that I'd lightened things up a little. "Big time." Then he was serious again. "Ya know, before I met you…I didn't do relationships very well. I'd had a girlfriend, sure…but it wasn't something I did well."**

"**What happened?" I was curious. I didn't bother me to talk about his other girlfriend. Because he was with _me _now.**

"**Well, we got close and then I told her what I did and…then it was over. Hunting wasn't even on her radar. She didn't believe me." He didn't sound like he blamed her now, but he may have at one point.**

"**So, she broke up with you?" He shrugged. "What a moron." I thought about it. "But then again…if you had stayed with her, I never would've met you…so."**

**Dean must have taken my last statement as a sign of low self-esteem or something because he started talking again. "She's not you, ya know," he said. "I could never confide in her. I mean, sure, I told her _some _things, but I could never just randomly start talking about ghosts or demons. Or anything that was important, really." He paused. "And it's hard to get close to someone when you have to lie all the time."**

**That was the end of that conversation. He'd said what he needed to say and I didn't have anything _to_ say. I didn't feel threatened. Dean was happy with me. Or as happy as one could be given his current situation.**

**I settled back down, my back against his chest. Things were silent for a while, at least on the surface. In my head, was a totally different story.**

**It was mostly my dad, the mixed feelings I had towards him.**

"**I told him that I wouldn't mind him stickin' around for a while." I didn't have to specify what I was talking about.**

"**I figured," Dean replied. "You're too nice to tell him to piss off."**

**I shook slightly with laughter. Then a took a deep breath. "Dean? Is it wrong or weird that I want him in my life but that I sorta don't think I can forgive him…no matter what he does?"**

"**You're asking _me_ about family problems?" Dean seemed amused. "When my family could have at some point won a medal for dysfunctional families?"**

**I laughed again. "Yeah, I am." Then I sobered pretty quickly. "I mean, on the one hand, he's my dad…ya know?" I paused, but didn't wait for an answer. I didn't expect one. I knew Dean knew what I was talking about. And if our roles had been reversed he'd probably feel the same way. Glad that he was alive, but scared to let him in, scared he'd leave again, or even worse…get hurt.**

"**Ya know, I don't know if Jack's telling the truth or not, about being a hunter, but I'm gonna have to make sure he knows how to protect himself, ward off demons. He's gonna be a target now that he's back in my life. They'll use him to get to me now."**

**His arms tightened around me briefly. "You mean, _we_ have to make sure that he can protect himself." I felt his lips press against my hair softly. "You're not alone in this, so don't go thinkin' you are."**

**I squeezed his arm, letting him know I appreciated it and that I knew already that he was there. He'd help in any way he could. As would Sam.**

**We sat there in silence and it was very comfortable. Until Sam came up and told us we needed to go to Peoria, Illinois, because he still wasn't getting an answer from Ava.**

"**You called her _again_?" Dean seemed amused, and then he started getting both of us up. "You sweet on her or somethin'?"**

"**She's engaged, Dean," Sam said, decidedly _not_ amused.**

**We began to walk towards the car and then Dean resumed speaking. "So? What's the point of saving the world if you can't get a little nookie once in a while, huh?"**

**I playfully elbowed him in the ribs. "You haven't had any in a while, either, so I don't know what _you're_ talkin' about," I joked. Of course, I was talking about actual sex, not orgasms…because he'd had plenty of those even if they were just hand jobs. He hadn't pressed for me to do anything else, knowing that if I had wanted to then I would.**

**Sam laughed quietly, amused. Dean pulled me against him again, lifting me into his arms, cradle-style. One arm under my legs, the other on my back. I squealed in delight; he hadn't held me like that in a long time.**

"**Is that an offer?" he whispered against my ear, making me shiver from the vibrations of his lips against my skin.**

**I blushed and buried my head in the crook of his neck, wrapping my arms around him to make it easier to carry me. I knew he was just joking so I didn't say anything about it; I just changed the subject.**

"**So, Peoria, huh? How far away is that?" It was only the next state over; I knew that much.**

"**About three hours."**

**When we got back to the car, I looked over at the Charger. Jack looked like he was asleep in the front seat, his head back against the seat. _Someone_ was gonna be sore.**

"**Should we wake him?" I asked, and Dean put me down, my feet touching the ground. "Or leave him here?"**

"**Wake him. You wanted to make sure he was safe, remember?" Dean gently pushed me in the direction of the Charger.**

**When I got to it, I knocked on the driver's side window and he stirred slightly. Then he opened the door.**

"**Huh?" He was still half-asleep and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "What?"**

"**We're gonna get ready to go. Sam said we should go check on Ava. He's still not getting an answer." I paused, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Did you, um…wanna come with us? Or you could just give me your number and we'll catch up later. Whichever."**

"**I think I'd like to come with."**

**I nodded, sighed, and then asked another question. "Are you really a hunter?"**

**He looked amused. "Yes. Why?"**

"**How do you get rid of a ghost?"**

"**Salt and burn the bones. Or the object that's keeping it here."**

"**Vampires?" I asked, harder this time.**

"**Decapitation. And they're not afraid of sunlight or holy water."**

"**Hm. Holy water…we should have made you drink some," I said, distracted.**

"**Will it help you trust me?"**

"**Maybe," I replied. "Anyway, just follow us, okay? Sam's gonna get the address."**

**He nodded. "Sure."**

**------------- -**

"**So, why exactly are you worried?" I asked. "Maybe she's just in bed." I looked at my watch as we pulled into the driveway of Ava's house. "I mean, it's almost 2 a.m."**

**It was a blue-green one story house with a built-in side garage. Maybe that was where her car was, because it wasn't out in the yard.**

**The Charger pulled up beside us and everybody got out of their cars.**

"**No," Sam answered. "I've been calling since 9:30."**

**We went to the front porch, with flashlights, and then knocked on the door. No answer. So, naturally, we picked the lock. Well, _Jack_ did. Call it a test to see if he knew what he was doing.**

**He did, it turns out.**

**And, oh man. Definitely a reason to be worried. I smelt the stench of blood; the metallic coppery smell. It was in the air; I could taste it.**

**We took out our guns and I saw Jack do the same. Jack branched off into what looked like the kitchen, and Dean Sam, and I moved down a hallway that was right in front of us. It led to a bedroom…with a body in it. A man, on a bed.**

"**Oh, God."**

**I turned away quickly but I'd already seen everything. A guy - Ava's fiancé, probably - on the bed, throat slit. There was a lot of blood. All over the front of his shirt and on the sheets - they were white. It looked like he'd been getting ready for bed or something. The guy was in a T-shirt and boxers.**

"**Hey," I heard Dean say. "Demon's been here."**

**I turned to look at him. He was standing by the window; he had yellow-white stuff on his fingers. Sulfur.**

**I shuddered. "Three guesses as to _which_ demon," I commented.**

**I saw Sam lean down, flashlight in one hand, and pick something up. He stared at it. It was a ring.**

**I was more interested in the blood splatters near the bed, though. There was just way too much blood for me to deal with.**

"**Ava," Sam whispered.**

**I gulped. I really needed some air. Air, that was fresh and not scented with blood.**

**I turned and went out of the room and back down the hall. I ran into Jack, who asked what was wrong. I looked pale.**

"**Dead guy in the bed. Blood. Lots of blood."**

**It took all of ten minutes for the guys to search the house and for the guys to get back to the cars, Jack behind them. They checked the garage and found her car there.**

"**We should call the cops," Sam said. "Missing person and murder."**

**And that took about two hours because we had to answer a bunch of questions. Why were we there? How did we know Ava? Did she have any enemies? Were her and her fiancé having problems?**

**Anyway, Sam seemed to be blaming himself but not in a mopey way. More like her was mad that he'd sent her home. Sent Ava back and told her she was safe.**

**Right. Safe. Like getting on a roller coaster without strapping yourself in.**

**------------- -**

**We were at a motel now - the four of us - and we were just taking in everything that had happened. It was kinda stupid in my opinion, but we'd gotten three rooms.**

**Sam wanted to be alone - guilt-dealing probably. Jack went with whatever I wanted, and I didn't want to share a room with him. So Dean and I were sharing a room, Sam was by himself, and Jack was by himself.**

**Or that's how the room arrangements were, but no one was following it yet. Everyone was in Sam's room.**

"**I've never seen anything like that," Jack admitted.**

**That confused me. "You've been hunting how long, and you haven't seen something like that before?"**

"**Eight years," he said. "Give or take a few months. And no, I haven't."**

**I sighed, not really wanting to get into it right now. "Okay, well, do you know the whole salting the windows and doors thing?**

"**Yes, I do it everywhere I go."**

"**Well, good. Then I'm gonna go to bed. I'll come get you before we leave." I looked to Sam and Dean. "When _are_ we leaving?"**

**Dean shrugged. "Whenever we get another case? Or whenever we get tired of being here. Whichever comes first."**

**------------- -**

**Man I was tired. Tired, but restless. I'd been laying there with Dean, my head on his chest, for over fifteen minutes. No sleep came.**

**My head was filled with thoughts of Ava. She'd been a nice girl. Even though I barely knew her it still hurt to think that she'd been killed. Or kidnapped, going through who knows what.**

**I wondered whether she was taken - or whatever had happened - because she knew us. Or maybe it was just because she was psychic. Like Sam.**

**Then I felt fingers lightly running through my hair. Dean. I moved slightly to look at him. "I thought you were asleep."**

"**Nah. I was waiting for you to drift off." He sighed. "You were tense. I figured if you wanted to talk, you would."**

"**No…it's just…what if she was kidnapped? I mean, we know a demon was there. Her car was in the garage. Her fiancé is dead, and she wasn't there." I laid my head on his chest again. "Demons aren't very friendly to the people they kidnap."**

**His hand stilled and I knew he was thinking about what had happened to me when I'd been taken. It bothered him still, even though it had happened almost two months ago. I think if hurt him more than me. It was something he blamed himself for even though he couldn't have done anything to stop it.**

**Then he was playing with my hair again. Which I needed to get cut. It was getting way to long to be hunting with. It could get in the way. But Dean liked playing with it, running his fingers through it, so I wouldn't get it too short.**

**I moved to wrap my arm around his waist and then I resolved to go to sleep and think about it when I woke up.**

* * *

Hey, updating again. Now that you know a little more of Jack's backstory what do you think about him? I kinda have a storyline for him, but it's a little iffy...I have to broaden it for it to make sense I think. Anyway...yeah. Tell me what you think. Thanks.


	26. Dealing with the Truth Pt Two

**Hey, readers, sorry it took so long to update this time. I had writer's block and family drama, so I chalk it all up to that.**

**Anyway, I'm putting a warning on this one for naughty stuff. If you don't mind reading that, then you're fine.**

**Dealing with the Truth  
Part Two**

**_I was standing knee-deep in something red and thick and the problem was that I was sinking slowly down into it. Like quicksand. Only this, I soon realized, was blood._**

_**What was I doing standing in blood? And where was it coming from?**_

_**I looked around and realized it wasn't **_**coming****_ from anywhere, exactly, but it was all around me, the blood was. And I was alone. And I do mean alone, alone, _alone_. No Dean. No Sam. Jack wasn't even there. And there was nothing there either. Nothing I could pull myself out with. Everything was red as far as the eye could see._**

"_**Do you know why you're here?"**_

_**That was a vaguely familiar voice, and when I looked to see who it was, I was surprised to see my mom. She'd sounded different…colder, somehow. That's why I hadn't recognized it right away.**_

_**She was floating above the blood, but that wasn't the only thing that was weird, or different. She had a sort of…deep expression on her face. Like she had the answers to every question in the universe. Her eyes were not intelligent, exactly, but wise. She seemed caring, but also aloof at the same time. She also seemed troubled.**_

"_**Mom?"**_

_**Okay, so this was definitely a dream. When Mom had come to me before I'd been awake and she'd told me that she wouldn't be seeing me again.**_

_**She was…glowing. Golden-white light was surrounding her, there were sparks of blue in there too. It kinda reminded me of the time light had come out of me. Or what I remembered of it; I had passed out soon after the light had started. But the light didn't fit her mood at all. She looked sad.**_

"_**Yes, it's me." She sighed. "I'm sorry."**_

_**She sounded mechanical. I wasn't sure, but I didn't think this was my mom. My memory of her was way different than this. She was using this language as if it wasn't her native tongue; it was like she had to use it to communicate but wasn't familiar with it. I didn't like it, it was making me uncomfortable.**_

"_**Sorry?" I asked, remembering what she'd said. "What for?"**_

_**She looked down at the river of blood. She didn't seem surprised that it was there; it didn't seem to bother her at all. "You won't be able to save him." She sounded pained, but distantly so, like she didn't understand the feeling, but she was actually experiencing it. "When the time comes," she looked straight at me, almost through to my very soul, "you won't be able to save him."**_

"_**Who?" I whispered. "What are you-" I broke off, realizing I could see something moving in the blood.**_

_**Oh, God. It was a face. It was grotesque, though. Twisted. And now I was waist deep in the never ending river…of blood. This was **_**so****_ wrong._**

_**It didn't occur to me until just then that I shouldn't be able to see through the blood. It was clearer than real blood. Definitely a dream, this was. A creepy, vague dream that I wanted to wake up from now.**_

"_**You won't be able to save him," she said again. It sounded so definitive, but it meant nothing to me. She made it sound like everything should be clear from that one statement.**_

"_**Save who?"**_

_**The twisted face finally made it to the surface, or maybe I was just getting pulled farther under. I tried moving, but that only made me sink faster.**_

_**The face was now right next to me. I took a shuddery breath when I realized that the face belonged to Dean.**_

"_**Dean?" I looked back up at the glowing figure of my robotic mother. "I can't save Dean? What do you mean?"**_

"_**Don't drown," she said, ignoring my question entirely.**_

_**Don't drown? What the hell did that mean?**_

_**Didn't take long for me to find out, because suddenly I was being yanked under. I didn't even have time to scream. Don't drown, indeed.**_

**I sat straight up, or at least I tried to, but Dean - the real one - was hovering over me, holding me down. So I settled for screaming instead. My legs were thrashing, probably trying to stay afloat from the dream, and I vaguely wondered if I'd kicked him without me knowing.**

"**Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothed. "Whatever it was, was just a dream."**

"**Blood," I said hoarsely. "Everything was blood. I was drowning in it."**

"**It was just a dream," he repeated gently.**

**I looked at him now, making sure I was awake and not talking to the grotesque version I'd seen in the river. I brought my hand up to trace the contours of his face. I used my fingers to travel from his cheek to his bottom lip, and I could tell he was confused; his eyes were questioning. Finally, I let my hand fall back to the bed.**

**Slowly, he let me sit up. "Are you okay now?"**

"**Yeah. I just…it was an odd dream. One of the ones that feel real."**

"**And there was blood?" Dean asked cautiously.**

"**So much," I practically whispered. "It was…everywhere, and at first I was just standing in it, sinking, and…" I went on to tell him about my mom and what she'd said. Then the whole me being dragged under thing. The only thing I didn't tell him was that I'd seen, like, a horror movie version of his face. If you've ever seen _The Ring_, that's what it had looked like. Discolored and twisted.**

**I shivered again, just from thinking about it. I wanted to know what had caused it. Whether it was my subconscious fear of losing Dean, or maybe it was from seeing Ava's fiancé covered in blood, I didn't know, but I definitely didn't like it.**

**I leaned into Dean's arms and tried to relax, but the dream just kept replaying in my head. I'd never had a dream like that before. I mean, I'd had nightmares about things since I'd become a hunter, but never anything that weird. Or disturbing.**

**It took me a minute to realize it was still dark, which meant that I couldn't have been asleep for very long, and neither had Dean. We'd only gotten to the motel at around four in the morning, and it wasn't even dawn yet. And I was suddenly glad that Sam had chosen to stay in a different room that night.**

"**Sorry I woke you up," I whispered.**

"**It's okay," he reassured me and kissed my head.**

"**No, it's not. I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep." I sighed and disentangled myself from his arms. "I'm just gonna go take a shower."**

**I got off the bed and began gathering my clothes and then glanced over at Dean, who had a forlorn look on his face. I hadn't meant for what I'd said to sound like a dismissal or like I was giving him the brush-off.**

**I swallowed once, and blushed deeply, thinking of a way that would make it up to him. "Do you, um…wanna join me?" It was said with a shaky voice. No confidence whatsoever.**

**Dean looked surprised, now, which was better than hurt. "Really?"**

**I blushed further. "Uh…yeah?" I backtracked a little. "I-if you want to."**

**He stood up slowly, trying not to appear rushed. "Yeah, sure. Why don't you go on and get in and I'll be in there in a sec."**

"**Mm-hm."**

**So I went into the bathroom, leaving the door unlocked. I started the shower, making it warm to the touch but not too hot. Or it didn't feel too hot to me - even though it was warm enough to make steam start pouring through the room.**

**Anyway, I wasn't in yet; I was gonna wait for Dean to come in. I pulled the shirt I was wearing off. It was his; I usually slept in one of his shirts if we were alone, and I kept to my pajama's if Sam was with us. I dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor and then went for my bra - yes, I slept in it -, but that's the time Dean decided to walk in. He was only in his boxer-briefs, which was pretty par for the course since that's usually what he slept in now.**

**I had on my usual lacey under-things; the panties were the kind that were like shorts that cupped your butt cheeks. They were the only kind I owned, actually. Anyway, they were navy-blue and they looked great with my naturally tanned skin.**

**I felt my heartbeat pick up speed as Dean slipped closer to me. I started shaking just a little - nervous energy. Which Dean caught, by the way, and he didn't ask, but I knew he was wondering if I was okay. He was probably thinking the dream was still getting to me.**

**Instead of answering, I busied myself with my bra, or tried to until dean stopped my hands from moving. I looked up at him and noticed he was giving me one of those 'your too cute for words sometimes' looks. I mean, he wouldn't be caught dead _saying_ that, but that's what his eyes were telling me.**

**Right. He liked that I was still shy; it amazed him, I think, because not many girls would get embarrassed if they'd already seen their boyfriends naked, but I didn't think that my bashfulness would ever fade. So it was a good thing that he found it fascinating. Or whatever.**

**I then looked at his hands on mine - oh, yeah, I wore a front clasp bra, because it was more convenient.**

"**Ya know, if you've changed your mind, it's okay. I won't be mad."**

**I moved toward him and wrapped my arms around him. That had been what I'd needed to hear. This was my choice; Dean would go by what I wanted.**

"**No. Stay," I said softly over the sound of the shower running. "It's just…" I stepped away so I could see his face. "…how do we do this?"**

**He grinned. "Well, first we take off our clothes," he replied teasingly.**

**I shook my head, smiling and looking at the floor, and felt some of the anxiety leave my body. I went for my bra again, this time actually removing it, and then I went for the panties, letting them slide down my legs to the floor, and stepped out of them.**

**When I looked up again, Dean was still in his boxer-briefs.**

"**You're a little overdressed, don't you think?" I asked playfully.**

**He smiled one of those rare, genuine smiles, and my heart skipped a beat. And then he was naked and we were stepping into the shower. I was the one who was underneath the water at the moment, and it felt so good on my skin.**

**My back was to Dean and I felt it as he began massaging my shoulders. That, mixed with the water, made the images from my dream fade. When his hands became slicker, I realized he was using soap as well, and his hands slid lower, kneading knots on the way, working the kinks out.**

**I turned to face him, letting the water wash away the suds, and placed my hands on his chest. I ran them up and around his neck, bringing his mouth down to meet mine.**

**I nipped at his lower lip, asking for entrance, and moaned into his mouth when he opened to me. Our tongues played lightly against each other until I felt his fingers ghost over the sides of my breasts.**

"**Dean…" I sighed against his lips, and then pressed harder against him.**

**I felt him fingering my right breast again, this time closer to the nipple there. He circled it until it pebbled under his touch. It made a slow, enticing warmth start spreading through me. I broke the kiss off and then latched onto his neck and then his collarbone, nibbling gently.**

**I felt his arousal, hot and hard against my belly, and I ghosted one of my hands down to grasp it, but he stopped me.**

"**Not yet," he whispered. "I wanna try something if you'll let me."**

**I pulled my mouth away from his skin and looked into his lust-blown eyes. I was wondering what he had planned. I trusted him, but I didn't know what he was gonna do.**

**He turned us around slowly so that his back would be under the water, and my back would be against the cold tile of the wall, which made me shiver because of my overheated skin.**

**Then his mouth descended onto mine again, and his tongue was lapping against mine, all hot and soft velvet, attacking my senses. One of his hands traveled down my body to grip the back of my right thigh, and he lifted it a little so I would know to place it on his leg as high as I could reach.**

**I moved away from his mouth to breathe, and started looking for something I could hold onto, and, conveniently, there was a little metal rag holder, which I grabbed onto.**

**And then he slid his hand back up my leg and higher, and glided it over my belly button and it tickled. My muscles fluttered under his soft caress. His other hand was fisted in my hair, pleasantly tight.**

**If it was possible, he stepped closer, and I could feel his cock rubbing against my stomach, just begging for attention, but he'd told me no, not yet. I wondered what he was waiting for, but I wasn't about to ask, because, I mean, talk about a mood-killer.**

**Anyway, I moved against him a little, tantalizingly slow, and I heard him hiss out a breath. And back down my body he traveled. I gasped because he started palming me, which just wasn't enough.**

"**Now?" I asked breathlessly. His eyes met mine and he looked like he sorely wanted to tell me yes, but he didn't.**

**And then he was running his expect fingers over my clitoris and I moved against him again. I was suddenly glad that his hand was on the back of my head, because it pretty much slammed into the wall.**

"**Dean," I gasped.**

**I felt his fingers stop moving and I made a vague sound of protest before I felt a finger glide over my entrance, which I hadn't expected so I froze for a second, as did Dean.**

**But then I relaxed and pressed against the finger there and he slid it in nice and slow. And really, this was a serious health hazard. I mean, my knees were weak from the aforementioned teasing; I could fall at any moment. And his finger being inside me was a foreign feeling; we'd never done this before. And I'm not saying it was unpleasant, just…unfamiliar.**

**When he added a second finger he had to go even slower because he was met by some resistance - natural resistance, because it seems that I was extremely, well, tight, down there - but it felt good, too.**

"**You better catch me if I fall," I whispered. Yes, I had hold of the metal rag holder, but my whole body was shaking, warning me that it might give out at any moment.**

**I began rocking against his fingers as best as I could, given my current position - standing with one leg hooked around him as high as it would go.**

**His two fingers were probing gently and he said something along the lines of "God, you're tight," or something to that affect.**

"**We should forget the shower," I groaned. "We're not getting clean anyway."**

**He huffed out a laugh and then I felt his fingers curl forward and I let out a pleasure-filled, "Oh!" That was new. He'd hit would could only have been my G-spot. Wow.**

**I felt his arousal give an insistent little nudge and that's when I grabbed it. I'd learned all of Dean's little quirks and kinks. Like, for instance, to draw it out he liked me to alternate between slow and gentle, and fast and rough. And I knew the slit on the head of his cock was a sensitive spot. He loved when I rubbed my thumb over it. And the last thing - which I found out by accident - I could make him come loudly if I played with his balls - or fondled…whatever you wanna call it. I'd sorta accidentally ran a fingernail lightly over them one time and found that he'd enjoyed it. So I'd tucked that piece of information in my brain to use later, or now.**

**Anyway, he set the pace by how fast he went, which at the moment wasn't very. But I matched my strokes with his thrusts and I assumed that's what he'd wanted because he didn't tell me any different.**

**Dean did the curly thing with his fingers again, and I grew even shakier.**

"**Dean. I need…" I didn't finish speaking because he knew what I needed.**

**He used his thumb to pressed and rub my clitoris. Then he stopped. "Was that what you needed?" he teased huskily.**

"**Oh, God, yes. Don't stop!" I pushed against his hand. "Please."**

**Dean, ever the generous lover, continued. We resumed the rhythm - the thrust and stoke -, and he was the one who came first, tensing against me because I refused to let him go. I didn't care if he got me all dirty; it would come off under that water. I felt his seed, hot on my stomach, and his fingers left me for a minute. I was kinda wondering how he was still standing, thrusting against my hand.**

**When he looked at me he had a grin set firmly in place; he was smug, it seemed. He was gonna tease me some more, I was sure of it. That was all fine and dandy, but that wasn't what I _wanted_. I wanted the tension to _leave_ my body, not to just keep building.**

"**Dean…" I whined weakly. "You're not gonna leave me like this."**

**His eyes softened, but they were still mischievous. "I should, ya know. For that ice thing."**

**I bit my lip because I wasn't gonna take that back; it had been funny. And he'd never left me wanting before and he better not start now.**

**I felt him begin washing me again, mostly the mess he'd just made, and then the water was being turned off, and he was drying me off enough to where I wasn't dripping water on the floor and he was leading me back into the main room and to the bed.**

**I opened my legs automatically, bending them so my feet were flat on the bed. But he didn't go where I wanted him. And talk about sexual frustration. My goodness, this was a new form of torture.**

**And then his body was on top of mine and his mouth was on my neck and a hand was on my breast, which were about a handful each. His mouth traveled down, latching onto my right breast, his fingers playing with the other one. I felt as both my nipples became taut little peaks. He tugged with his lips until I sighed his name.**

**His mouth was continuously suckling, kind of like breastfeeding a baby. Which, bad image there when you're in the middle of doing what we were.**

**His hand slid lower, shaping the curve of my waist, and my breath came more quickly now that I knew he was finally gonna let me finish. I grabbed onto his shoulders and slid my hands up to his neck, holding on loosely, and arched up into his mouth, which was now working on the other breast. His tongue was flicking over my nipple, and his teeth was gently grazing over it.**

**When Dean's hand found the hair where my thighs came together he lifted his mouth from me and looked at me wickedly.**

"**Here?" he teased.**

"**Lower," I begged.**

**He moved his hand to my thigh and began running the tips of his fingers from my knee and back down. "Here?"**

**I shivered. And I felt like crying. I wasn't getting what I wanted. So I reached down and grabbed his hand, surprising him and myself, and placed it over my mound. "There," I said fiercely.**

**Getting the hint, finally, he began circling my clit again, teasing me until I had to grab onto the bed sheet. I lifted my hips up and started gyrating against his hand.**

**His fingers stopped working against me, and traveled even further south to my entrance and I felt a finger glide inside me.**

**I started grinding myself against him and moaned - loudly, might I add - as he added a second digit. I felt his thumb start playing over the bud near the top of my folds gently just enough to further my arousal, not to give me my release.**

**My hips bucked wildly as I felt his fingers curl and hit the spot we'd discovered earlier.**

"**Dean!" I was being loud, as usual when it came to this, and I was hoping whoever was next door to us didn't hear. Now that I thought about it, I was pretty sure it was Sam who was beside us.**

**I saw Dean grin and that just added to my pleasure, because let's face it: Dean is sexy when he's grinning.**

**Dean's fingers moved faster inside me and I felt myself clench around them, hard, once and then I reached my climax, finally, spasming over and over. My whole body arched off the bed.**

**I just about screamed. I would have, too, if Dean hadn't covered my mouth with his. As it was, I had the back of his head in a death grip. There was nothing gentle about his kiss. Our teeth were crashing against other, our tongues were fighting against each other. And all the while, his fingers stayed where they'd been…inside me. His thumb was still circling, still…**

"**Mmpf!" I moaned against his mouth as another orgasm wracked through my body. A smaller one this time, but oh, God.**

"**Don't stop," I pleaded, breaking away from his mouth, "don't stop." Again, I felt like sobbing. That's how great the pleasure was.**

**After I hit my third, I sorta went boneless beneath him. I was, um…wow. I _loved_ Dean.**

**I made a little sound of contentment and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him to me, and then realized we were both completely naked. And, yes, I knew he wouldn't do anything I didn't want him to, but he was a _man_ so this was probably hard for him. So best not to play with fire and all that.**

"**You okay?" I heard him ask.**

"**Mm, I will be when I can move again." I mean, I was shaking so I guess you could call that movement, but other than that I couldn't budge an inch.**

**I could feel him again - he was aroused for the second time in, well, I didn't know how long, but it couldn't have been more than an hour. Oh, well. After I learned how to breathe again it would be my turn to play.**

**------------- -**

**We did end up going back to sleep after I took a shower that was actually cleansing, during which Dean used my laptop to see if he could find a case, but…nada. It hadn't been that hard to relax after Dean's whole 'fix everything with orgasms' session. When I woke up I felt a little stupid for even letting the dream get to me.**

**I mean, everyone has bad dreams once in a while. Granted, mine was really, _really_ bad, but that was all it was, was a dream. It couldn't have been anything else because Dean wasn't in danger, as far as I knew. And he didn't need anybody to _save_ him anyway; he was quite capable of taking care of himself.**

**I mean, I would totally take care of him if he needed it, but…anyway, best to leave that one alone for now.**

**When I opened my eyes I realized that Dean wasn't there. There was, however, a note on the pillow beside me.**

**Basically all it said was that he was in Sam's room. Sam had wanted to talk without waking me, so Dean had double-checked the salt lines and had left. I could come over there if I wanted.**

**I left the note where it was and got up to go to the bathroom. There was a mirror there and I saw that my hair was a mess. I'd gone to bed with it wet and now it was a curly mass of waves. I tried running my hands through it with no success; it was too tangled. Time to get the brush, I guess.**

**I was in another one of Dean's shirts and I didn't feel like changing out of it just yet, so I just put on a pair of jeans and let the shirt hang over it; it came down to mid-thigh and was extremely loose.**

**I was in the middle of going through my morning ritual - brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, washing my face - when someone knocked on the door.**

"**It's Jack. Open up."**

**I went to the door, passing by the table - my laptop was still there from Dean using it - and chairs, opened it, and stepped back to let him in, minding the salt lines so I wouldn't mess them up.**

"**What?" I asked softly.**

**He shook his head, looking around. "Where's Dean?"**

"**With Sam." I crossed my arms over my chest. A defensive gesture. "Did you want something?"**

"**To see if you're okay after everything you've found out."**

"**Oh," I said, a little self-consciously. "I'm fine, I guess. Or as fine as can be expected."**

"**Mm-hm. And have you thought anymore about the training I talked to you about?"**

**I sighed, sitting down on the bed. "No, not really. I know that it needs to be done. If I can control this I can be stronger. I'll be able to kill demons…I think. I haven't ever killed a demon; I've killed a succubus though." At Jack's searching look, I clarified. "Alabama. In the church."**

"**Did it hurt? You, I mean?"**

**I shrugged. "The initial pulse, yeah, but I did it again and it didn't hurt."**

"**And do you know _how_ you did it?"**

**Well, that was a stupid question. "If I did, I wouldn't need to be trained, would I?"**

**Jack smirked. "True enough, but there's no need to be a smartass."**

"**Objectively, I'd say I'm very smart, but it has nothing to do with my ass." I had to try hard to keep a straight face while saying that.**

**Jack's smirk turned into an amused grin. "That's a good one." Growing serious again, he said, "were there any common factors in the times when you used this ability of yours?" He sounded like a cop or a lawyer trying to get information out of a murder suspect. But I would play for now.**

"**My emotions, I think. The first time, I was in pain and I lost control because I was freaking out. The second time, I was angry, but I could…"**

"**Let go?" he suggested.**

**I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Yeah." I watched as my dad turned back to the door and reached for the lock, and I stood up quickly. "What're you doing?"**

"**Relax," he said in that soothing voice of his. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna try something."**

"**What?" I said fiercely. "You want me to open the door with my mind?"**

"**No, I don't think you could do that yet. Although now that you mention it, that would be cool to see. No, I just want to try a simple experiment."**

"**I don't think I want to be part of your little science project. I'm not some specimen you can run tests on whenever you want to."**

**I went to go around him and reached for the door, to unlock it, but he grabbed my shoulder to turn me back around.**

"**Where are you goin', huh?"**

"**To go see Dean. Now, let me go!" I shrugged him off and actually got the door open this time, but he shut it again. "You had no right to do that."**

"**Listen to me. You can't control your ability until you know how to call on it." He paused, his face softening. "Well, try."**

**I sighed. "I don't know how to. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't happen."**

"**You said something about your emotions. You were scared or angry. Well, tap into that." And now he sounded like a shrink. "And I really wanna help you do that, Alyson."**

"**Yeah, well, I don't think it's a good idea. Someone, meaning you, could get hurt, and I don't wanna do this now."**

**I glared at him defiantly, and he looked almost impatient.**

"**Will you sit down, please? I told you I'm going gonna hurt you."**

"**Oh, it's not me I'm worried about," I said scathingly, and then I remembered myself and took a deep, calming breath. "Look, my abilities aren't something to mess around with. I've…I killed someone the first time I lost control, and I don't wanna hurt anyone else."**

**And damn him for bringing that to the forefront of my mind again. That was one of those things I'd dealt with and buried deep so I wouldn't worry about it again.**

"**All the more reason to focus then, right?"**

**And I had to admit he had a point there. So I gave in. "What do you want me to do?"**

"**Sit down, first of all," he said quietly. He locked the door again. "No distractions."**

**I briefly wondered if Dean had a key, but then mentally shrugged because it didn't matter; if Jack wouldn't let me open the door, Dean would kick it in.**

"**Fine," I said , sitting down at the table where my laptop was. "Now what?"**

**Jack dug into his back pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, and he placed it on the table in front of me. "I want you to clear your mind of everything but the knife. Focus on the knife, focus on making it move."**

**I looked at him like he was crazy. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"**

"**Just relax," he said. "And concentrate."**

**I breathed in and let it out slowly, and looked at the knife. It was closed, so that was good. How do you concentrate on making something move if you don't think you can do it?**

**I looked back up at Jack, who was looking at me like you'd stare at an animal in a zoo, or, even worse, a sideshow freak.**

"**It's not working," I said. "I don't know how to do it."**

"**You're not trying," he accused.**

"**Yes, I am!" _Sorta_, I added silently. "I just don't think I can do it."**

"**Picture it moving or floating, and then…make it happen." He made it sound so simple.**

"**Well, you do it, then, if you think it's so easy." I was losing my patience.**

"**I can't anymore. But that's how I used to take out demons." He hovered over me. "Now, try again." He was being stern now. "If you have to get pissed off, then get pissed off. Now, concentrate."**

**Pissed off? Oh, I was getting there. Who did he think he was, telling me what to do? He may by my father, but he didn't have the right to dictate any part of my life. He'd given that up when he'd left, no matter the reason.**

"**Concentrate!" he yelled at me, and the knife flung itself off the table and I stood up again.**

"**Show's over," I said. "You should leave. Now."**

"**Wait." He seemed appeased now. "What were you thinking? How did you do it?"**

"**I was mad at you. I was thinking about how you left, and have no right to tell me what to do." I went to the door and unlocked it. "Now, are you going to leave?" He just stood there. "No? Well, then allow me."**

"**Running to Dean?" His tone was mocking.**

"**As a matter of fact, I am," I replied, opening the door, but as before, he reached around me and shut it, refusing to let me leave.**

"**I can't allow that yet. _He_ can't help you do this."**

"**And I supposed only _you_ can," sarcasm coated my voice. "God, you don't care about me at all, do you? You came after me to train me…to be whatever it is you want me to be."**

"**That is not true, Alyson."**

**I ducked underneath his arms, thinking about locking myself in the bathroom until he went away. But maybe I actually _wanted_ to fight.**

"**Yes, it is!" I shouted. "Ever since you found me you've either been asking about my abilities or trying to convince me to let you _train_ me."**

"**I'm trying to make you stronger. I'd think that you'd be happy to do that. You could protect your boyfriend and his brother. You could kill the demon that killed your mother."**

"**I'm not revenge driven!" I exclaimed. "I mean, yes, I want the demon gone, but it is not worth losing myself over."**

**A knock came from the door, and the door knob kind of started wiggling. Jack had locked the door, so it wasn't opening.**

"**Hey," it was Dean, "open the door."**

**I sighed impatiently. "Let him in." He was blocking my way.**

"**You do it. You want him so badly, open the door." I began moving forward, but he blocked my path again. "Not that way."**

"**Oh, come on. Give it up. Why are you doing this?"**

"**Alyson! Open the door. This isn't funny!"**

"**Coming," I said, dancing around Jack and unlocking the door. I opened it and saw both my guys there.**

"**What the hell?" Dean asked. "We heard yelling."**

"**I was having a very heated…discussion…with Jack."**

**They stepped in and they looked like they still had questions. I closed the door with a soft click.**

"**About what?" Sam asked.**

"**My…training or whatever," I explained.**

"**I thought we said 'no distractions'," Jack said.**

"**No, you said that and you totally ignored what I said."**

"**But it helped, did it not?" he asked. "You made the knife move."**

"**Because I was angry," I said slowly.**

"**Exactly. Because I pushed your buttons."**

**I glared at him, seeing red. "You were doing that on purpose?" That made me mad all over again. "I told you that I could lose control and…" I trailed off, starting to shake from my anger. "Are you trying to make me an emotional wreck? I mean, you come to find me after all this time, and then you tell me you wanna help me control these abilities and then you purposely try to make me lose control!"**

**My voice had been rising as I'd been talking, and the bed had started shaking; the table started as well.**

"**How is that helping? Huh?"**

**The power was building in me, I could feel it. It wasn't painful, but it was just…a lot of power. And if I didn't let it go, I was sure the windows were gonna explode, which would not be good.**

**Suddenly my laptop hurled itself at my dad's head, but he ducked and it hit the wall behind him and crashed to the floor in pieces.**

"**My computer!" I cried. "That had my music and my pictures on it."**

**I saw the TV lift itself up and suddenly I was being turned around to face Dean. Well, not face him, exactly, but I was being pulled against his chest, and he was wrapping his arms around me.**

"**Stop it!" he said loudly. "Whatever you're doin' to her, stop it."**

"**I'm not doing anything," came Jack's voice. "I was trying to teach her. This particular ability comes to her when her emotions are at their peak. If she can learn to control her emotions, she can learn to control her ability."**

"**Her emotions weren't out of control until _you_ came along," Sam said pointedly.**

**I felt tears sting my eyes. I wanted very much to hit Jack; I wanted to break his nose with my fist. And that scared me because I wasn't a violent person, not by nature. I mean, I wasn't exactly a pacifist, because I'd fight if I had to, but I didn't believe in just hitting people. But maybe he deserved it.**

"**Mr. Daniels, I think you should go," Dean's voice vibrated against my cheek. His tone was of the 'no arguing' variety.**

**I heard the door open and close, so I assumed he'd left, and then Dean was lowering us to the ground and was trying to calm me down.**

"**Hey, he's gone, okay? He's not here anymore." Dean's hands found my face and he cupped it, placing them on my cheeks. "Look at me. You need to calm down, okay? Take deep breaths…and relax."**

**I saw movement at my side and turned to watch Sam move the TV back to it's rightful place. At least it wasn't broken. He'd picked it up right out of the air.**

**But the bed was still shaking, although not as bad as it had been, and it was slowing down steadily, until eventually it wasn't moving at all.**

**I grabbed onto Dean's shirt, and I felt him start rubbing my back in soothing circles, and I slumped against him. The power was receding, and I didn't know whether it was because of Dean, himself, or because I was calming down, but I didn't feel like exploding or anything like that.**

**I saw Sam kneel down beside me and heard him ask if I was okay now. They were both wondering if they were gonna have to duck and cover at some point in the near future but I think they were safe. There was no wind like there was the first time in the church. I was still shaking, however.**

**I pulled away from Dean slightly, looking around the room. My eyes fell on my computer, broken on the floor, and I replayed launching it at Jack. My music had been on there, which was okay; it was on my Ipod, too. But my pictures were another story. They were a lost cause. There had been pictures of my friends, and a few of my mom. I had actual pictures of my mom in my bag, but my friends…most of those had been on my computer.**

**I went to stand up, but I was too shaky; it was like the aftereffects of an adrenaline rush. Dean helped me up and onto the bed, and kneeled down in front of me.**

"**Are you really okay?"**

**Sam sat beside me. "No explosions in sight?"**

**I smiled slightly and shook my head. "I think you're safe." I glanced at my computer again. "My laptop, however, is a goner."**

**Dean stood up slowly and went to the door. "I'm gonna kill him."**

"**Dean, no," I said.**

**He looked at me. "What, are you kiddin' me? Look what he did to you."**

"**No, you can hit him until he bleeds," I said, "but don't kill him."**

"**Hit him until he bleeds?" Dean said to himself. "You know, that sounds like a very good idea."**

"**Can I help?" Sam asked seriously.**

"**Guys, you don't have to -"**

"**Hey, you've said it once before," Dean started, interrupting me. "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."**

"**But I'm okay." I was, except for being a little shaky. "And, yes, he was being an ass, but he didn't hurt me. I was more worried about me hurting him, to be honest."**

"**Yeah, but he shouldn't have done that, messin' with you like that," Sam said firmly.**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "From now on, he can't be alone with you. It's kinda like that supervision thing with custody things, where the parent can't be alone with their kid." Dean paused, thinking. "Can I still hit him?"**

"**Sure," I said easily. "Next time you see him. Just don't beat him up too bad. I want the knock out blow to be dealt by me."**

**Both Sam and Dean laughed at that, even though I was at least partly serious. Like they'd said, he'd had no right to do that. Not to mention, that wasn't exactly the way to win me over or to gain my trust.**

**------------- -**

**After giving my laptop a good throwing out, Dean and I went to a nearby 7/11 and got a few things to eat in the car as we went. I got a small bag of cheddar popcorn and a pack of Starburst, along with water. Dean went to pay for that and whatever he was getting him and Sam, and I was going to go wait in the car, but something caught my eye.**

**A newspaper with the front page headline of _Fire Victims Stump Lexington, Kentucky, Local Police_. I picked it up and started reading it.**

**_Aaron Temple, 9, was found early yesterday morning near the recently reactivated tobacco plant. Aaron is the second of two similar events that have taken place in the past week, Stacey Keeler being the first. Aaron was said to have been playing in his backyard the day before he was found and his mother, Diana Temple, turned her back on him for one second and when she turned back around, he was gone. She didn't fret, however, because he was known for sneaking off into the woods behind their house, which, incidentally, leads straight to the old tobacco plant._**

**The article went on to say that Aaron had been found _burnt_ to a crisp. The only way they had been able to identify him was through dental records. The weird thing was that it didn't seem like the body had been moved at all, but the forensics team said that there was no way that he'd died there.**

**I went to go back to the counter, where Dean still was, and I plopped the newspaper down in front of him. I didn't offer to pay because he was always of the mind that I shouldn't spend my money when they had perfectly serviceable fake credit cards to use. He never used the word _serviceable_, but that was his general thought process.**

"**I want this," I said. "You should look at it later."**

**And then I went out to the car, where I had meant to go in the first place.**

**------------- -**

**Later, when we were back at the motel, Dean picked up the paper and skimmed through it. He was making a face of disgust mixed with anger. The ones dealing with kids always got to him the most. But he seemed conflicted.; he didn't know if it was our kind of thing.**

"**Well, I can use my computer and research this Stacey girl," Sam started, "see if I can get anything that will tie this to the supernatural."**

"**I think it's something we should look into," I said, putting my two cents in. "Two kids have died in the past week in that town. Does that strike you as particularly normal?"**

**Dean shrugged noncommittally, which I found strange because I knew him and knew this was getting to him; I'd seen it on his face when he'd been reading the article.**

**Sam was looking at Dean oddly as well, so I assumed he didn't understand what was going through Dean's mind either. Sam, who'd been at the table, stood up and said, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go get my computer."**

**He left, leaving the door open since he'd be back shortly, and I sat down beside Dean. "What's the matter?"**

"**Nothin'," Dean said. "I just don't think this is our kind of thing."**

"**So you said." I reached my hand up to stroke the back of his neck, where the short hair was. "What's really-"**

"**Knock, knock." Jack was at the door now; it wasn't Sam. "Is it safe again?" He stepped inside.**

**I felt Dean tense slightly beneath my fingers. He wasn't very pleased with my dad at the moment. Neither was I, now that I thought about it.**

"**What do you want now?" I asked coldly. "To play with fire again?"**

"**No. I needed to know if you understood why I did what I did."**

**I stood up as Sam came back in the room and glared at my dad. He was placing himself in a room with three people who weren't very fond of him at the present time. Sam went around him, giving him a 'we don't want you here' look.**

"**I'll be quick," Jack promised. "Do you wanna do this here? Or in private?"**

**Dean stood up now. "I'm thinkin' in here, where I can kick your ass if I need to."**

**I suppressed a laugh and touched Dean lightly on the back. "Give me a minute?" I really wanted to know what Jack had to say for himself. "Please?"**

"**Don't go too far," he commanded. "And don't go to his room."**

"**No complaining here," I retorted. "Give me your jacket. It's pretty cool outside." He shrugged out of the leather and handed it to me. "I won't go far, and I'll leave the door cracked."**

**I glared at Jack and then put Dean's jacket on to go outside. We walked a few feet away from the room and I just let him have it. I pulled my fist back and landed a punch to his jaw. He staggered back from the force of it.**

"**Who the _hell_ do you think you are?" I seethed, refraining from hitting him again.**

"**I'm the one who can help you," Jack said. "If you'll _let me_."**

"**Making me lose control? Is that how you can help?" I was still being scathing, but, I mean, come on…he deserved it. "If that is all you can do, then I don't need your help."**

"**I had to see how strong you are now. How much control you have. I had to see what I was working with."**

**I clenched my fists again. "Why didn't you just ask?" I questioned. "Are you not capable of basic reasoning skills?"**

"**You don't seem exactly comfortable talking about your abilities with me."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I wonder why?" I said sarcastically. "What you did was -"**

"**Crude?" he interrupted.**

"**Wrong," I said, overtop of him. "Maybe that's how you're used to doing things, but that is not the way to get to me." I took a deep soothing breath and let it out slowly. "They trust you even less now." Meaning the guys. "Congratulations."**

"**So…" he started, but trailed off, apparently wondering where his actions were gonna leave us.**

"**So…" I repeated his word. "I hit you, and I feel better now."**

**He grinned, but I didn't. This talk did _not_ make things okay between us. I wondered whether I should tell him about the case I thought we had, but decided against it in case it didn't pan out…or if I realized I didn't want him there.**

**I pulled the jacket tighter around me and glanced at Jack, whose face was already bruising. "I'm gonna go back now, and you should put some ice on that," I said, gesturing at his jaw, "before it decides to swell or something."**

**I watched as he turned away and then I did the same, walking the ten or eleven steps it took to get back to my room. I stopped at the door, which was still cracked, however, because I heard Dean say something about me not being involved in this case. I almost walked in to demand an answer as to _why_ exactly I couldn't be a part of it, but Sam did it just fine.**

"**What're you talking about?" Sam asked. "Why would you want to exclude her?"**

**I heard a chair move and then Dean was talking again. "I just don't want her to-" he broke off. "We need to be extra careful on this one."**

**I felt kind of guilty for spying; I'd never done it before, but I didn't want to walk in and interrupt whatever they'd been talking about either. They didn't get a lot of brotherly time now that I was in the picture. And I didn't just mean me going out with Dean, I meant me being here, period.**

"**I knew this was something we should look into the moment I read the article." That was Dean again. "She saw it first, by the way."**

"**Yeah?" Sam asked.**

"**Yeah." I couldn't see Dean's face, but I could hear in his voice that he was having one of those moments where he didn't know if he should continue the conversation or not.**

"**So…what's the problem?" Sam prompted.**

"**Sam…" Oh, so Dean didn't want to go on.**

"**No, you started this," Sam said, gently trying to get information out of Dean. "What's wrong?"**

**For a minute no one said anything, and then when I was getting ready to go in, Dean started talking again, so I stayed outside.**

"**It's just…the way these people died." Fire. "And, I don't know…if you take a look at our family's history, fire isn't exactly friendly to the women connected to us."**

**So that's why he'd been reacting the way he had about everything. He was scared that what happened to his mom and Jessica was going to happen to me. I wondered how long he'd been holding that particular fear in.**

"**Dean," Sam's voice was full of empathy. "I don't mean to sound like I'm diminishing your fears, because I know where you're coming from. Believe me, I do. But that was the demon who did that. And I'm pretty sure that this isn't the demon."**

"**Can we check?" Dean sounded part demanding, part vulnerable. "For signs or omens. Whatever."**

"**Yeah," Sam answered. "Yeah, sure." And then after a few seconds. "You're serious about her." It was more a statement than a question. "When did you realize?"**

"**Realize?" Dean was playing dumb.**

"**Yeah, that you loved her," Sam clarified. "Are in love with her? I mean, you used to flirt all the time, but when…?"**

"**Sam." That was Dean's warning voice he used when Sam was pushing something Dean really didn't want to talk about. And this conversation they were having was of the uncomfortable type, but eventually Dean spoke again, although he cleared his throat first, as he usually did in uncomfortable situations.**

"**It was when Dad was taken," Dean said, and his voice was kinda husky. "When she did…everything…just to help me. She knew what I needed and she-" he broke off.**

"**She put your needs first," Sam finished for him.**

"**Yeah," Dean said, grateful for not having to be the one to say it. He wasn't used to people putting him before everything else, and it seemed that he wasn't very comfortable with the idea.**

**He cleared his throat again. "Anyway, are we done? I think I've had enough of the caring and sharing to last a lifetime."**

**I heard Sam chuckle and I grinned. I still felt guilty for eavesdropping though. I thought about what Dean had said, _everything_ he'd said. First being about the case. I had a feeling Dean knew it wasn't the yellow-eyed demon, he was just being overcautious.**

**The second thing was about me putting him first. I was glad he acknowledged the fact because putting him before myself was becoming second nature to me. Making him my priority was as much my nature as it was for Dean to make Sam his priority.**

**That's another reason Dean and I got along so well: I understood that Sam came first and I accepted it. I didn't expect him to change after all this time taking care of Sam.**

**Anyway, I found myself walking to my dad's room and knocking on the door. He answered after a few seconds and he looked surprised to see me there. Not surprising since he'd only left, like, five minutes ago. I noticed he was holding an icepack to his jaw; he'd obviously taken my advice.**

"**Yeah?" he questioned.**

**I took a deep breath, thinking I'd get straight to the point here. "We found a case," I declared. "Lexington, Kentucky. Two kids were found burned. Two separate events, mind you, and we don't know much else."**

**Jack stepped aside to let me in but I refused. He resumed his previous position: leaning on the doorframe. "Why're you telling me this?"**

**I sighed. "You should come," I said reluctantly. "I don't trust you," I added quickly and firmly, "and I'm not happy with you. But no matter how much of an ass you're being, you haven't tried to hurt me. And I'm thinkin' we might need you."**

"**Why?"**

"**Because…" I didn't know how much I should say so I tried to vague it up for him. "This is going to be a sensitive case and the guys may need help from someone other than me."**

**Meaning, of course, that Dean may want me to keep out of it like I'd heard him say earlier…and I would probably listen just to give him peace of mind.**

* * *

Okay, as always, reviews are definitely welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance.


	27. Little Responsibilities Pt One

**Little Responsibilities  
Part One**

"**Are you sure you want him to come with us?" Sam asked, opening the passenger side door of the Impala.**

**It had taken us about an hour to get everything together so we could leave, and now we were doing just that. And Sam had been talking about Jack, of course. Jack was getting into his Charger. It didn't matter who got there first; what mattered was that we met up when we got there.**

"**I don't want him around all the time," I admitted. "But he might be helpful on this one."**

**My gaze met Sam's, and I don't know if it had been something in my tone, but I could tell that Sam knew I'd heard at least a little of his and Dean's earlier conversation.**

**Dean, who was already in the front seat, wasn't paying too much attention to us, I didn't think. I whispered when I spoke, nonetheless.**

"**Don't tell him I know," I pleaded. "You know Dean can get avoidy when he thinks you know something personal like that."**

"**Yeah, okay. But you're gonna have to explain to him sooner or later why you wanted Jack to come with us."**

"**Yeah, I know." And that was pretty much the end of that conversation; we'd said all that we'd needed to say.**

**After we got in the car, before Dean even started her up, he was asking if Sam really thought moving on right now was a good idea.**

"**What'd you mean?" Sam asked, confused.**

"**Ava," Dean clarified. "You know, with her goin' missing and everything, I thought you might wanna stick around."**

**Sam shook his head. "Nah. I think we've done all we can here. I mean, we searched the house high and low and found no leads." He paused, sighing. "I'm the one who told her to go back home. And now, her fiancé's dead, and some demon has taken her God knows where, ya know? And we've got nothin' to go on."**

**I moved toward the front seat, as I usually did when I wanted to talk to the guys when they were in the front seat.**

"**You know, this thing with Ava isn't your fault," I said. "You didn't know it was gonna happen."**

**Sam nodded. "Yeah." Again, he paused; this time he looked like he was thinking of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "Look, I'm not sayin' we should give up on her, because we shouldn't, but I'm not gonna let other people die either. These kids need our help. And we've gotta save as many people as we can."**

"**Wow. That attitude is just way too healthy for me," Dean quipped. "I'm officially uncomfortable now. Thank you."**

**Sam grinned, and I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. I sat back in the seat and relaxed, relieved that we didn't have to have a pep-talk with Sam, because I really didn't feel up to it.**

"**So, did you find anything else out about the kids?" I wondered out loud. Sam had been the one to research it, so he was the one I was asking.**

"**No, not really." Sam sighed. "The first victim, Stacey Keeler, was found _in_ the tobacco plant, which is more a tobacco farm than anything else. They produce the tobacco and store it there until they ship it out. They shut it down for a couple days while the cops checked it out. They couldn't find anything, of course. They don't know what happened or how."**

"**How old was she?" Dean asked. "Same age as the other one?"**

"**No, she was eight." Sam paused, shaking his head. "But at least we know where to start. I mean, the murders started after reopening the tobacco farm again."**

"**So why'd they shut it down before?" I questioned.**

"**A rash of child murders back in the early 1900's. Nobody ever found out who did it. But one of the workers found the bodies of several missing kids. The town opted for it to be shut down permanently. Until now. The farm started up again…and so did the killings."**

"**Hm."**

**Things were quiet for a minute, so Dean started the car and we took off. About a half a mile up the road, a very morbid and disturbing thought came to my mind.**

"**Guys…I know this is something we don't wanna hear, but…do you…I mean…what if they were alive when they were…" I trailed off, sorry for even beginning to say what I'd been thinking.**

"**You're right," Dean said. "I didn't wanna hear that."**

"**Well," Sam began, "if that's the case then we just have to make sure we get this done with as fast as possible. I mean, it's bad enough that they're dying, but to feel that…to burn to death…"**

"**Yeah," I whispered, and Dean turned the radio on and up, ending the conversation.**

**------------- -**

**Lexington, Kentucky was about a five hour drive from the part of Illinois we'd been in, and once we got there we found a motel and tried to figure out a game plan.**

**The sleeping arrangements were pretty much the same as they'd been in Illinois, except Dean and I were sharing with Sam. Jack still had his own room, but he was with us at the moment.**

"**Okay, well, I'm thinkin' two of us should go to the farm or plant or whatever," Dean said. "And two of us should go talk to the families of the kids who died."**

**I knew before Dean even said anything that I would be one of the two who went to the families.**

**Dean looked at Jack and then at me. "Alyson, you'll be with Sam." He glanced back at Jack. "And I don't like you." I barely held in my laugh at Dean's bluntness. "But you'll be with me. I don't want you around her when we're-" he pointed to Sam and himself "-not nearby."**

**Jack nodded, understanding. Now that he'd gotten what he wanted - me losing control - he was his normal well-behaved self. I was kinda wondering if he was bipolar; his mood-swings were maddeningly extreme. One minute he seemed only interested in helping, the next he seemed fascinated by my abilities, which I was beginning to think of as my own personal freak show.**

"**Me and Jack are gonna check out the tobacco place. You and Sam go talk to the families, and we'll meet back here after we're done."**

"**So what's the story this time?" I asked. "What are we supposed to be?"**

"**Oh, uh," Dean sounded like he'd just remembered something, "I need your ID so I can use the picture. You and Sam are gonna be posing as people from the Home Office."**

**I grimaced. My first fake ID…let's just hope I could pull it off. "So business clothes?"**

"**Yup," he agreed.**

**I got up and went for my purse to get my driver's license so Dean could have it. I didn't know exactly what he was gonna do aside from going to some place in town to do it.**

"**And who are you gonna be?" Sam asked. He sounded like someone was talking about dressing up for Halloween.**

"**Health inspectors. Two kids have died either in or near the place. We're gonna see if everything is up to code, including security…" He grinned. What he really meant was they were gonna use the EMF meters to see if there was and paranormal activity going on.**

**About five minutes later Dean had left with Jack, saying they'd be back in about an hour with my ID, which left Sam and me to research. Which was a little annoying now that we only had one computer.**

**As Sam was researching at the table, I was on the bed flipping through the channels and stopped on a station that was playing an old Halloween movie, but then decided against watching it. Our lives seemed like they could be straight out of a horror movie; there was no need to watch one.**

**I looked at Sam and I noticed that he didn't actually look like he was paying attention to what he was doing. It seemed he was looking at the words, but he wasn't really seeing them.**

"**Sam?" No answer. "Hey, earth to Sam!" He looked at me; it was as if he'd only just remembered I was there…which with as quiet as I'd been was possible, I guess. "You okay?"**

**He hesitated before nodding. "Just thinkin'."**

"**About?"**

**He began to look a little uncomfortable so I figured it wasn't about the case. It was probably something personal and embarrassing.**

"**Um…nothing, never mind."**

**I shrugged. "Okay." If he didn't want to talk, that was his prerogative.**

**It was quiet for about fifteen seconds and then he just burst out, "you're being safe, aren't you?"**

"**What?" Really, that was a random question.**

"**Don't get mad," he urged. "I know this is none of my business, but…you and Dean are being safe, right?"**

**I blinked a few times, surprised that Sam was bringing this up. I felt all my blood flow toward my face, and I knew I probably looked like a tomato now.**

"**Uh…yeah, that _is_ none of your business," I breathed. "Why are you asking?"**

**He looked away, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I heard you this morning." He seemed even more embarrassed now. "And, ya know, I kinda think of you as a sister and I wanna know that you're not bein' stupid."**

**Wow, he had a way with words, right?**

"**Oh. Well, the sister part was nice," I said. "And I swear if you tell Dean we had this conversation, I will beat you to death, but, uh, we haven't…ya know."**

"**Oh…" I could've sworn he looked a little bit relieved at that. "So Dean is…"**

"**A perfect gentleman unless I say otherwise," I completed the sentence for him. And, well, since we were talking about this anyway… "Can I tell you something?"**

**Sam smiled slightly, like maybe he knew what I was gonna say already. "What?"**

**I took a deep breath, trying to make myself admit out loud something I'd been thinking for a while. "I think I wanna be with him. I mean…_really_ be with him."**

**And yeah, Sam had definitely know I was gonna say that.**

**I smirked. "You know, if you were a girl this would be so much easier."**

"**I would be way too tall if I were a girl," he quipped.**

**I nodded mock-seriously. "You are freakishly tall." I watched as he came over to the bed and sat beside me, leaving his laptop at the table. "And just think…you'd still be able to use the name Sam. Just change it from Samuel to Samantha."**

"**Oh, you're funny." He glared at me, but there was amusement sparkling in his eyes.**

"**Yes," I agreed. "I am." I grew serious again, only this time it was for real. "Anyway, about me being with him. I think you should help me get birth control pills."**

**This time, Sam was the one whose face got red. "What?"**

"**Yeah, we passed a Patient's First on the way into town, and you can just walk-in there. I wouldn't have to set up an appointment or anything."**

**He shifted uneasily on the bed. "But the case…"**

"**I can go after we solve it," I said. "And don't mention it to Dean, please. I said I _think_ I'm ready, but I'm not sure. And birth control pills, you have to be on them for a while to make sure they take affect. That'll give me time to think it over."**

**Sam opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then shut it again. Finally, he said, "what aren't you sure about?"**

**I swallowed, thinking about it. "Honestly?" I wasn't gonna talk about it if he didn't want me to.**

**He nodded.**

"**A lot," I admitted. "How much it'll hurt, how nervous I'll be, whether I'll be able to actually do it once we start. What it'll be like if we actually do…" I trailed off because Sam's face was contorting into an open grin. "What?"**

"**You think too much." He chuckled. "When-" he broke off, probably thinking I didn't want to hear whatever it is he was going to say.**

"**Go on," I prompted.**

"**Well," he obeyed. "When you're havin' sex, makin' love, whatever you wanna call it, you don't think too much. It takes the fire out of it. You just…do whatever feels natural. If you get to the point where you get uncomfortable, then stop… Trust me, whenever you decide you feel ready, Dean's gonna be more worried about you than himself. His first priority will be making you comfortable."**

**I bit the inside of my cheek and looked at the bed again. "Yeah, but what if I heal?" I asked self-consciously. "Ya know, after." I was talking about my hymen, of course. I mean, that would suck, losing your virginity over and over again.**

"**Oh," his grin faded a little, "yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. But…I really think you should talk to Dean about this. Preferably, before you actually try. If you don't, it'll be running through your mind and you won't be able to relax."**

"**Isn't this one of those things Dean wouldn't _want_ to talk about."**

"**He'll talk about it if he knows you're upset over it, which you clearly are."**

**I glanced from him and then at the laptop, all alone at the table. "You know, this isn't research in the strictest sense of the word."**

"**Or in the non-strict sense of the word," he joked.**

**I shook my head and grinned before hopping up to bring the laptop back over to the bed.**

**------------- -**

**Two hours later Sam and I were pulling up to a little one-story house. It was a deep yellow, and it looked like it had an attic. The front door was close to a semi-large storm window, but the curtains were closed so I couldn't see inside.**

"**So, it's a little weird that both the kids that died lived on this street, right?"**

**That's one of the things we'd found out; both Stacey and Aaron had lived on the same street, which meant they both had access to the woods that led to the tobacco plant-farm thing.**

"**Yeah, that's definitely weird."**

**I checked my fake ID again. Dean had changed it to where I was a child psychologist, and my name was Sarah Carson. I hadn't agreed with it because I was so young, but he'd said it would probably gain more information than just being from the home office.**

**Dean had let us use the Impala, and he'd gone with Jack in the Charger. This little subdivision was like any other community, all nice and structured. Only the houses didn't all look the same; each house had its own character style.**

**I didn't know which was worse, a community where houses all looked the same, or this, where they didn't. The houses were spaced out enough where kids could play if they wanted to, but the color schemes of the houses were almost unattractive.**

**Sam took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car and I watched as he checked himself over one last time. He was in his formal getup - the whole suit and tie thing. He could pull it off a lot better than Dean. Not that Dean didn't look good in a suit, it's just I liked him better in jeans and a t-shirt.**

**I followed suit and opened my door to step out onto the pavement. I checked myself over, too. I was wearing something that was only slightly less formal than Sam's suit. I had on a white cami with an equally white button-up shirt. To complete the top half of my outfit, I was wearing a blue suit-jacket; the pants matched the jacket. I had my usual dress-up flats on, because heels just weren't conducive with hunting.**

"**And this is Stacey's house?" I wondered.**

"**Yeah, the first victim."**

"**And you're sure me being a child psychologist is a good idea?" I paused, watching as Sam came around the car. "I mean, for one, I'm too young."**

"**You look fine. You made yourself look older," he reassured me.**

**I had put on more make-up than I was used to without overdoing it, and my hair was up in a tight bun. In my opinion I looked more like a tight-ass librarian than a psychologist.**

**He and I started walking up to the front porch, but I stopped because I caught a slow movement at the side of the house.**

**There was a little girl near the side of the yellow house we were heading towards. I couldn't tell much from where I was standing, but her dress sort of matched the color of the house, and her blond hair was flowing in loose curls over her shoulders. She looked no older than seven.**

**I grabbed onto Sam's arm and nodded toward the girl. She was looking from us to the car curiously. She was probably wondering who we were and why we were here.**

**I lifted my hand to wave and she looked away from us shyly. She was adorable, I could tell that from here. Then she turned and went further behind the house so I could no longer see her.**

"**Do you think she lives here?" I asked Sam.**

"**I dunno," he answered. "I didn't see anything that said they had another daughter."**

**I shrugged and we continued up the walkway. When we got to the door, Sam knocked. We didn't get an answer, so we tried again.**

"**Maybe nobody's home," I suggested, and just when we were getting ready to turn around, someone opened the door. It was an old lady.**

"**Yes?" she questioned.**

"**Are you Mrs. Keeler?" Sam asked.**

"**No," she stepped out onto the porch. "I'm not." She looked at Sam and then at me, taking in our appearances. "Are you selling something?"**

**I smiled slightly at that. "No, we're not. He's from the Home Office for the Crowley Plant-" that was the name of the tobacco place "-and I'm Sarah Carson. I'm a child psychologist. The police hired me to get into the mindset of the deceased children."**

"**Well, I'm afraid that's impossible," the old lady said. She eyed Sam again. "What's your name, son?"**

"**Christopher Holland," he replied, and I repeated the name in my head so I could remember it. He got out his ID and offered it to her.**

**She waved it away. "Put that away," she said, not rudely. "My eyesight is not what it once was."**

"**Ma'am?" I started, "really, we'd like to put a stop to these killings. All we wanna do is help."**

**Again, she looked me up and down. Apparently, she agreed with whatever I'd said, because she let us in.**

"**Mrs. Keeler isn't available at the moment," the old lady said. "She's fallen ill since Stacey died."**

**Sam seemed to take that in. "And you live here with her?"**

**She actually laughed at that. "Oh dear, no. I only come over when her husband's at work. Someone has to take care of the poor child."**

**She led us through to the sitting room and asked if we'd like some tea and we accepted to be polite. She went off to what I assumed was the kitchen.**

**I didn't know about this woman yet. She seemed nice enough, but she seemed like one of those strict old people. Which would be fine if I was a naughty kid, but I wasn't. I was trying to help the future victims of, well, whatever was doing this.**

**The room she'd led us to was fashionably decorated, though it was neither masculine nor feminine. It was neutral, I guess you could say.**

**A few minutes later the woman came out with a tray of china teacups and a teapot. There was a bowl of sugar in the middle with three spoons beside it. She placed it on the table in front of us. Sam and I were on the loveseat, and she sat down on the couch opposite us.**

**She looked at Sam first. "Why would the Home Office be checking up on this?"**

"**Well, we wanna keep it from happening again," he said politely, but I could tell he thought it should be obvious. "You never gave us your name, Miss…?"**

"**Chase," she said promptly. "You never asked," she said with elderly mischief.**

**I smiled slightly. "Miss Chase-" I watched as she picked up one of the spoons and dipped three spoonfuls of sugar into her cup "-did you know Stacey?"**

**Her hand shook slightly over her cup. "Know her? I was her godmother. I used to baby-sit her mother when _she_ was little. I'd say apart from Brianna - Stacey's mom - I was the one who knew her most."**

"**And could you think of a reason why she'd be inside the plant, Ms. Chase?"**

"**Please, call me Lillian. And no, I can't think of a reason. She didn't usually run off. She was a good little girl."**

"**Speaking of little girls," I began. "Does Mrs. Keeler have another daughter? It's just that we saw a young girl outside your house as we were coming up. She was wearing a yellow dress. She had blond hair. She seemed shy."**

**Lillian smiled thinly. "That's probably Rebecca Thomas. All the kids around here play in everyone else's yard. Or at least they did until the murders started happening."**

**Sam and I put a little bit of sugar in our teacups and began drinking. It wasn't too hot, but I had never really liked hot tea. However, she'd been nice enough to fix it, so I would be nice enough to drink it."**

"**Was Stacey acting any different in the days before her death?"**

**Lillian shook her head. "No, not that I know. I mean, her parents - Brianna and Keith - were having problems, but they were good about it in front of her."**

"**And you said her mom is sick?" Sam asked.**

"**Yeah," Lillian sighed. "Poor thing's health wasn't all that great to begin with, but Stacey's death pushed her over the edge. Sometimes Keith has to force her to get up in the morning."**

"**Are you sure that's wise?" I asked tentatively. "I mean, every person has their own way of dealing with things. And Stacey's death is recent. Mrs. Keeler probably hasn't gotten over the shock of it yet."**

"**Do you see me pulling her out of bed?" Lillian countered. "I don't care how she deals with this. She'll get over it when she's meant to."**

**Okay, I wasn't certain of her before, but I was starting to like her.**

"**Did Stacey know Aaron Temple?" Sam asked.**

**I turned to him, knowingly. "They lived on the same street."**

"**Stacey and Aaron…" Lillian said. "They were inseparable. Best friends. They didn't get along at first, but after that, it was hard to keep them away from each other. They would always come over to my house - it's over on Slent Street - and if they weren't there, they were over at his house."**

**We sat in silence for a minute and for the life of me, I didn't know what to say. The questions we'd asked had gotten us close to nowhere. The only important piece of information was that Aaron and Stacey had been friends.**

"**I imagine Aaron was distraught after it happened," Sam restarted the conversation.**

"**Oh, yes. But kids are resilient. After two days, he tried to go on as if nothing had happened…then-" she broke off.**

"**The same thing happened to him," I finished for her, and she nodded her thanks.**

"**Neglectful parenting if you ask me," Lillian said.**

"**What'd you mean?" I asked.**

"**Aaron Temple's parents weren't the most attentive people in the world. Aaron was their adopted son, changed his last name to theirs. They were on their way to adopting their second. The girl I mentioned earlier, Rebecca, she's theirs too. They just haven't made it official yet."**

"**Was she friends with Stacey, too?" Sam asked.**

"**Mm." Lillian shook her head and took a sip of the cooling tea. "Rebecca's not friends with anybody. She's very withdrawn, that child. Has been since the day I met her."**

"**You seem to know all the kids around here," I observed out loud. "Do you baby-sit sometimes for them?"**

"**All the time. I refuse to become old just because I _look_ old."**

**Again, I smiled. She seemed to be a genuinely nice person.**

"**Lillian, do you think Mrs. Keeler would be okay with me going into Stacey's room?"**

"**Her room?" Lillian said with dismay. "Why?"**

"**Sometimes the way a room is set up can tell you a lot about a person. That's if nothing has been rearranged."**

"**No," Lillian answered. "Keith locked the door and refused to let anyone in. But I guess if it'll help, I can open it for you."**

"**Please," I said.**

**She stood up and went into the kitchen again. When she came back, she was holding one of those old fashioned key rings, and it had about ten keys on it.**

**She went towards the hallway and I stood up to follow her. The hallway was carpeted; it was really soft, you could probably sleep on it. We went past two doors; one was closed and the other was ajar. I could hear sobbing coming from inside. This was probably Mrs. Keeler's room from the sound of it.**

**When we got to the third door, Lillian paused and searched for the right key. When she found it, she opened the door for me. When I stepped in, the first thing I noticed was there were pictures on the walls from a coloring book.**

"**She was very artistic," I observed.**

"**Yes, she loved coloring," Lillian moved farther into the room, looking around. "I haven't been in here since…"**

**The bed was made, as if no one had ever been in it. The covers had a flower design on them. The room itself was white, and it had a flower pattern as well. The carpet was a tan color; it clashed terribly with the walls.**

**There was a light-colored shelf on the far wall that was lined with children's books like Winnie the Pooh. There was a window on the right side of the room and I went towards it. The curtains matched the walls, and underneath, on the carpet, there was a little patch of _something_.**

**I moved closer to get a better look and realized they were scorch marks. It was weird though, because they looked like they were two letters overlapping each other. A J and a C. It was hard to tell which was on top since they were both together.**

"**Hey, has this always been here?" I called out to Lillian. "There's a mark here."**

**Lillian came to me and for a second she seemed startled. "No," she said, disbelief coloring her voice. "I don't know how that got there."**

"**Do you know what it is?" I asked. "Or where it comes from." I took out my cell phone and snapped a picture of it.**

"**The Crowley plant, that's their logo, always has been."**

**Something in her voice was telling me that Lillian Chase knew more than she was letting on.**

"**Do you know why this is here?"**

"**I have no idea."**

**She looked spooked in my opinion. So I was sure she was hiding something, but I didn't press it.**

"**Do you have everything you need?" she asked.**

**I nodded. "For now."**

**------------- -**

**After we left the Keeler's I told Sam how Lillian had reacted to the symbol-logo thing.**

"**So we should definitely see what we can dig up about it. She was power freaked by those letters."**

"**Yeah, something's up with that."**

**We reached the car and I pulled the blue suit-jacket off. Even though it was only about forty outside, wearing the business suit was kind of toasty, so I tossed it in the back seat of the car after getting in, myself.**

"**So, where do you wanna go now? To the Temple residence, or the library?"**

**Sam settled into the driver's seat and sighed. "Temple's, I guess. I mean, we're already here. Might as well take advantage of it."**

**Turned out the Temple's lived three houses down from the Keeler's so we just got out of the car and walked there. No use starting the car just to move a few feet forward.**

**This house was different. For one, it was a brick house, and two, it was two stories. The yard was desolate except for a little white Hybrid parked in the driveway. There were no toys or anything like that in the yard. Not like there usually is when you have kids living with you.**

**I walked up the steps and to the door. I knocked, and heard someone moving behind the door; it sounded like one of those chain-locks were being unhooked.**

**A man in a white shirt and overalls opened the door, and the stench of alcohol hit me in the face a couple seconds later. He was slightly overweight, and I was guessing it was a booze belly.**

"**Yeah?" he said belligerently. "Whatcha want?" His words were slurred like he'd definitely had one too many of whatever he'd been drinking.**

"**Are you Mr. Temple?" Sam asked from beside me.**

"**Yeah. Why?"**

"**Well, we were wondering if we could come in," I said. "It'll only take a few minutes."**

**His eyes roved over my body from the top of my blouse to the flats on my feet. I suddenly wanted my jacket back; I didn't like that he was looking at me like that.**

**Sam cleared his throat to get Mr. Temple's attention. "Sir. I'm Christopher Holland from the Crowley Plant's home office."**

"**Uh-huh." His gaze flitted back to me. "And who is this?" This sounded like thish.**

"**I'm Sarah Carson…" I told him the same story I'd told Lillian Chase: That I was a child psychologist hired by the police and could we please come in.**

**Mr. Temple eventually let us in, but now he was looking distrustfully at me; I assumed it was the child psychologist thing.**

"**We wanted to ask you a few questions about your son…Aaron," Sam said, and it didn't seem to phase Mr. Temple at all.**

"**Hm," Mr. Temple scoffed. "Boy got what was comin' to him if you ask me." His words were running together so it was hard to understand him. And every time he said an s it sounded like sh. "He was the most disobedient kid I'd ever laid eyes on. Never listened."**

**This guy was obviously one of those people who thought kids should be seen and not heard. Strike one.**

**Mr. Temple led us to the living room, and I immediately noticed what strike two would be. There were alcohol bottles littering the floor and…oh, dear, this place was a pigsty. Chips that had fallen out of their package were in crumbs on the floor; they looked like they'd been stepped on ten times over.**

**There was a hint of tobacco, and sure enough there was an ashtray - cigarettes piled high - on the table in front of the couch, which was worn looking. How did he live like this?**

**He must have seen the disgust on my face because he sneered. "The maid didn't come in today."**

"**So it seems," I said stiffly. "Where's Rebecca?"**

"**Around." He didn't seem surprised that I knew Rebecca was supposed to live here. Well, if I was meant to have been sent by the police I guess it's only normal that I knew. "she's not my respo…responsibility," he stumbled over the last word, and then plopped onto the couch.**

**I glanced at Sam, my firsts clenched, then turned back to the man on the couch. "All due respect, sir, but you're her foster father. So she _is_ your responsibility."**

**Mr. Temple glowered at me from where he was, but before he could say anything Sam started speaking.**

"**Is your wife home?" Sam had the tone of forced politeness in his voice. Apparently, Mr. Temple was bugging Sam too.**

"**Diana's at work. She won't get off until one." So his wife worked the evening shift. I felt for her if this was what she came home to everyday.**

"**Can I see your son's room?" I asked. "To see if I can find anything worth reporting to the police."**

"**Like what?" Temple demanded.**

"**Like why your son was near the tobacco plant," I retorted. "Because something tells me you don't have the first clue." My gaze met his, and I outstared him**

**I felt Sam touch my back, kind of like he was telling me to ease off a little. He probably didn't want Mr. Temple getting defensive.**

"**It's up the stairs, first door on the right," Temple muttered.**

"**Thank you," I said, turning to go up the stairs.**

**As I made my way to the aforementioned room, I noticed that, like the yard, there was no sign that a child lived here. It didn't bother me, per se, but usually there were toys lying about when a child lived somewhere. A lot of little children weren't known for picking up after themselves.**

**I heard someone cough and it didn't sound like it was coming from downstairs and it didn't sound male. I debated with myself for a minute, wondering whether I should look in Aaron's room or go and see who was coughing.**

**I settled on going into the room with the coughing. The door to that room was closed, so I knocked. I didn't get an answer; I hadn't expected one. I tried the doorknob, and surprisingly, it was unlocked. So, I entered and saw a woman lying in the bed. It was the master bedroom, I assumed, because it was pretty big.**

**The woman's gaze fixed on me, and I could tell she'd been crying. She looked a little bit younger than the man downstairs on the couch…she seemed friendlier too; her eyes, though red and puffy, were kind and gentle.**

"**Mrs. Temple?" I spoke. "Are you Mrs. Temple?"**

"**Yes," she whispered. "Who are you?" Her voice was hoarse.**

**I stepped farther into the room and saw her move to turn on the bedside lamp. I also saw her grimace as if she were in pain. A dim light flooded the room, and I barely managed to withhold a gasp. Mrs. Temple's face was a mess of bruises caused by her deadbeat husband no doubt, who had lied about her being at work.**

"**Who are you?" She asked again.**

"**Uh, I'm a child psychologist. My name is-"**

"**You're here to take her away, aren't you?" she interrupted.**

"**What?" I questioned. "No. I'm not here to take anyone away from you. I'm here to see if anyone knows a reason why Aaron was near the Plant."**

"**Well, he always played in the woods. Him and Stacey…Rebecca used to go with them, but she stopped that a while back."**

**I moved closer to the bed, but my wrist was suddenly grabbed from behind with bruising force. I turned and saw Mr. Temple there, fire in his eyes.**

"**What're you doin' in here?" he growled fiercely.**

**I, being the type of person who wasn't easily intimidated, glared at him defiantly. "I heard her coughing, I wanted to make sure she was okay."**

**Still, he started dragging me out of the room, and he slammed the door behind us. It wasn't hard to break his grip on my arm, probably because he was drunk.**

"**I want you out of my house."**

**He didn't need to tell me twice. I went downstairs and Sam and I left.**

**------------- -**

**Back in the Impala, Sam and I were headed to the library to research that symbol thing. Now, I couldn't be sure, but I thought that the symbol would probably be in Aaron's room too. I mean, when I'd found it in Stacey's room they'd been scorched into the carpet…it was kinda hard to miss. But the point is…both Aaron and Stacey were burned, and it just seemed that the scorch marks couldn't be a coincidence. Random coincidence didn't happen very often, not in this line of work.**

**When we were almost to the library, some idiot in a pickup truck decided he didn't have to obey the traffic laws, and he ran right through a stop sign.**

"**Sam, watch out!" I panicked.**

**Sam swerved just in time and slammed on the brakes. The next thing I knew, I heard a thump like something had hit the floor of the car, and then I heard a shriek. I looked at Sam, who seemed confused, and then we both looked in the backseat, which was where the noise was coming from.**

**There, on the floor, was Rebecca Thomas. She'd been huddled underneath my blue jacket that I'd thrown in the car before going in to the Temple house. She looked a little shocked, and maybe even scared…and she had a bruise on her cheek, like you would if someone had backhanded you.**

"**Rebecca?" I said, climbing over the seat to get in the back. Her shrieking stopped when I said her name, but she scrambled to get away from me.**

**When her back was pressed against the door, she stopped and winced like she'd hit something that was sore.**

"**Please don't hurt me," she whispered. She sounded scared for her life.**

**I swallowed down a lump that had formed in my throat. I felt the car start moving again, and then we were pulling over on the side of the road, out of the way of traffic.**

"**I'm not going to hurt you. I wouldn't do that."**

**I looked up at Sam, who, now that the car was parked, was looking back at us, uncertain of what to do next, and sighed. I wished Dean was here; he had experience with kids. Or taking care of them, anyway. He'd taken care of Sam since he was four…Dean was more of a father to Sam than John had ever been.**

"**What're you doin' in here?" I asked, keeping my tone gently, soothing.**

"**Running away," she said softly, like she thought the littlest thing would make me lash out at her. This little girl was scared of me, scared of her surroundings.**

**I looked at Sam again. "What're we supposed to do?"**

"**I don't know." Sam sighed and started driving again. "But we can't just keep her, we can't take her with us."**

"**Well, we can't take her home, either," I countered. "You saw what he was like, and Diana, his wife, couldn't even get out of bed."**

**I looked over at Rebecca and saw she was about to start crying. "I don't wanna go home. Mr. Temple is a very bad man."**

**I put a hand up to my head and ran it down my face, sighing once again, and debated what we should do.**

"**Okay, well, we don't have to take her back yet. Mrs. Temple can't get out of bed, and the way Mr. Temple was drinking, he won't even notice she's gone. I think we should take her with us to the motel and see what Dean thinks we should do. And we should forget the library for now."**

**Sam nodded from the front seat, his eyes still on the road. "And the symbol? How are we gonna figure that out?"**

**I thought about it for a minute. "Ash. I got a picture. I can send it to him and ask him to call me back when he figures out what it means."**

**Rebecca, sensing that I wasn't a danger, moved a little closer to me. She was still using my jacket as a blanket of sorts. And she was still huddled up. It was a defense mechanism; the one where you try and make yourself as small as possible so you become less of a target.**

**And at the moment, I was getting pretty angry. I mean, I thought social workers were supposed to look in on the family before they dropped a kid into their house. I swear, people should have to take tests before they can adopt, or just have kids, period. And if they're crazy, or they have anger issues, they shouldn't be able to have kids. Yeah, you should have to have a license to have children.**

* * *

  
Hey, people. Thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter that I put on. Anyway, here's another chapter. Now press the review button. LOL


	28. Little Responsibilities Pt Two

**Flight815Down: Hey, I like puns too. LOL. And honestly most of the time I don't even have to think of them, they just come to me naturally. And, yeah, I liked Ash too; it sucks that he had to die. I loved your little jokes about having to go through withdrawals while Supernatural is off (Or the new ones anyway) But don't worry, it comes back on on the 10th of September (I think). Thanks for saying you'll review more often. LOL. But I hope that you don't get eaten by a wendigo or tortured by Alastair. I would wish either of those on anyone. But I promise to forgive you if you don't review and that's happening to you. And you're right, it was a long review, but I don't mind; I love the long ones. Oh, and LOL to the spelling error thing. Couldn't stop laughing when I read it.**

**Magsdls: Thans for reviewing! I'm glad you like the sweet stuff (I try to keep it non-corny.) and all the rest of the emotions that I play with. And the child abuse issue...I think I just wanted to hit on the problem that there are human monsters in this world and I really wish we could do something about it. Children should not have to suffer just because their parents are miserable. If they didn't want kids the men should have kept it in the pants and the women should have kept their legs closed.**

**Little Responsibilities  
Part Two**

**When we reached the motel, we went to our room. I was sure we wouldn't get in trouble; no one was around to see the little girl we were bringing back with us.**

**The Charger wasn't in the parking lot, so I assumed Dean wasn't back yet. Rebecca, who had suddenly taken a liking to me, was looking around the parking lot dubiously. Poor thing was probably scared that someone was gonna jump out at her.**

**She grabbed onto my hand and leaned in to hide herself against my leg. I squeezed her hand a little, not knowing whether it would comfort her or not.**

"**We're almost there, sweetie," I said. "And you're safe with us. No one's gonna hurt you here."**

**We made it to the room and Sam opened the door. I saw that Dean was on the bed with Sam's laptop beside him, right where I'd left it.**

**He looked towards us and then at the little girl clutching at me like I was her lifeline. "What's goin' on?"**

**We briefly told him about the almost-accident, and how we'd found her in the backseat, that we didn't know what we should do. On the one hand, if we kept her while we were in town we could be charged with kidnapping even though she'd sorta chose to come along. On the other hand, if we took her back to her house she could be badly hurt if Mr. Temple had the urge to smack her around a little.**

"**Well, is there a way you could get in touch with her mom? From the way you described her, she actually cares about her," Dean said. "She wouldn't mind you keeping her…especially since she thinks you're from child services."**

"**But I told her I wasn't there to take Rebecca away."**

"**So pretend otherwise," he said.**

**I bit my lip, considering it. I mean, I could pull it off easily. Mr. Temple made me angry enough that I could definitely take Rebecca away from him. But that would only work while we were here.**

"**Where's Jack?" Sam asked suddenly. "The Charger's not outside."**

"**Food," Dean said, by way of explanation.**

**I looked down at Rebecca, who was still clinging to me, and asked, "are you hungry?"**

**She hesitated before nodding. "Yes," she replied politely.**

**I led her over to the bed and helped her climb up, and then I sat down beside her. She climbed over my lap so she wouldn't be beside Dean. I understood her qualms about the guys; the man she lived with beat her, and that was probably all she knew about men, period.**

"**Hey, it's okay. I told you, you're safe here." I paused, again getting angry that someone could hurt an innocent child. But I didn't want to alarm her by showing my anger, so I forced it down. "Now, what do you like to eat?"**

**She bit her lower lip and shrugged. She probably wasn't used to getting a choice in the matter.**

"**Where'd he go, anyway?" I turned to Dean. "What restaurant?"**

**Dean shrugged. "Some burger place. I think it's called Ryan's or something."**

"**Well, I'll call him and have him get an extra burger and fries," Sam said, sitting on the bed opposite us. "Is that okay?" He glanced at Rebecca, and this time she nodded instead of shrugging.**

**Sam got out his phone and did what he'd said he was going to, and suddenly a thought popped in my head.**

"**Rebecca, why weren't you in school?"**

"**Mommy teaches me," she said quietly. "She's nice, not like Mr. Temple."**

**Okay, so she was home schooled. Probably to hide the abuse. But that meant trouble because tomorrow was Friday and though I wasn't sure how home schooling worked, I was pretty sure that it kept to the same days as regular schools did.**

"**Sweetie, we're gonna have to take you home eventually. I think maybe your mom will miss you if you don't turn up for your next lesson."**

"**Mr. Temple has to work in the morning," Rebecca said, trying to be helpful. Apparently, she'd given up on the idea of running away.**

"**Well, that's great," Dean said. "We can go back and talk to Mrs. Temple tomorrow." He glanced over at Rebecca, catching her eye. "Which means you can stay here tonight. 'Kay?"**

**Rebecca smiled slightly and nodded somewhat enthusiastically.**

**------------- -**

**By the time Jack got back with the food we had turned the TV on to a cartoon station. _Tom and Jerry_ was on, and to be honest, Dean seemed to be more invested in it than Rebecca was.**

**We each started eating our meals, and I noticed that Rebecca was pulling herself into her shell again; I assumed it was from all the male company.**

**She continued eating, as did we all, and Sam and I explained the situation to Jack without getting into it too much.**

**When Dean was finished with his burger and fries he started on a slice of pie he'd gotten Jack to get him.**

**Rebecca, who'd only eaten half her fries so far, leaned around me and glanced from Dean to the pie and back. Dean, who caught the gesture, stopped with the fork halfway to his mouth.**

"**Do you want some?" he asked gently. That's how adorable this little girl was; Dean was willing to share his pie.**

**He brought the fork towards her, and just let it hover there as a silent offering. Rebecca looked at the fork for only a second before leaning forward and taking the pie into her mouth. She started chewing happily. It seemed we had another pie fanatic with us at the moment.**

**After about a minute, the little girl was looking at Dean again and she had a serious Oliver-Twist-please-sir-can-I-have-some-more expression on her face. So Dean fed her more pie.**

**Smiling tentatively, Rebecca crawled over my legs to settle herself between Dean and myself. Dean, who seemingly from out of nowhere had conjured up another plastic fork, handed it to her and together they started taking turns eating the pie.**

**If I had been the type to say _awwww!_ I would have been saying it by now. Dean was being so…sweet to this girl. Not that I was expecting any different because I wasn't. But it was just hitting me full-force how nice of a person he was, how much of a good man he was.**

**I looked over at Sam, who seemed a little shocked at this little exchange. At how Rebecca had gone from scared and withdrawn, to open and smiling in the grand total time of maybe five minutes.**

**Dean was awesome that way, and it seemed that Rebecca knew it too.**

**Jack, who was totally oblivious to what was going on because he was looking at a newspaper, turned the page and continued whatever he was doing.**

**When Rebecca and Dean got to the final bite of the pie, Dean decided to let her have it, but when Rebecca got it on her fork she held it up to his mouth as he'd done for her, and offered it to him. He accepted. **

**I could already tell it was gonna be hard to leave this time, when the case was over. I already felt something for this little girl, which probably wasn't the best thing in the world right now.**

**------------- -**

**That night before going to bed we had to change our routine a bit. Since we didn't have anything of Rebecca's with us, we just had to make due with what we had.**

**I brushed my teeth and then cleaned it with scalding water so she could use it as well. We didn't have any kids toothpaste, so she made a face of disgust at the taste of the Colgate I had fixed on the toothbrush for her.**

**She was in the bathroom with me, and we were both changing into our bed clothes. I was letting her use one of my t-shirts, which would probably come down past her knees. When she went to strip off her yellow dress, she stopped for a second and then I realized the dress was the kind that zipped in the back. Not the best kind for a child.**

"**Here, let me help you," I said, moving forward to unzip the dress. After it fell to the floor, I stood there shocked. There on her back were welts - not scratches, but welts. They looked like they were on the brink of becoming infected. There were three right parallel to each other.**

"**Oh, Becca." That's all I said; I didn't know what else _to_ say. I swallowed hard. "What happened?" And more important, how had she dealt with the dress pressing up against her all day? I had a short flashback of her flinching when her back had hit the car door earlier, after we'd found her with us.**

"**I broke a glass," she replied softly. "I broke it."**

**I breathed out slowly to try and release the anger before it would show on my face. It wouldn't do to make her withdraw again.**

"**Will you let me put something on it, make it better?" I requested.**

**She turned around slightly to meet my gaze. "Will it hurt?" she asked in a small voice.**

**I grimaced slightly because, yes, it would hurt. "It'll sting for a little while. But it'll help these heal."**

**She bit her lip, much like she had earlier, and looked like she was considering it. Eventually, she said, "okay, but I want pie-man to do it."**

**I grinned. "Pie-man, huh?" I squatted down in front of her and stroked her hair, trying to ignore that bruise on her cheek. "Pie-man has a name, ya know."**

"**Dean," she said. "I want him to do it."**

"**Yeah, okay," I said. I handed her the shirt I was letting her use. "Just cover yourself. I'll be right back."**

**I got back up to my feet and opened the bathroom door to go outside. Jack was still in our room and he was talking to Sam quietly, and I hadn't heard all of the conversation, but it sounded like Jack didn't _totally_ agree with us keeping Rebecca with us.**

"**This could go very badly for us if we get caught with her."**

"**We're not taking her back home tonight," I said firmly. I looked to Dean, and said, "get the first aid kit. She has a bunch of marks on her back from a belt or something. She wants you to put something on it."**

"**Me?" Dean seemed surprised. "Why?"**

"**She likes you," I said. And then I watched as Dean got the kit and went towards the bathroom. But then he turned back around and looked directly at Jack.**

"**Ya know, no one said you had to be a part of this, but the girl is stayin' and that's just the way it is. You don't like it, leave."**

**And I guess he _didn't_ like it, because Jack actually did leave the room. Well, good riddance, if he was gonna be like that. I supposed he just thought of Rebecca as another distraction.**

**------------- -**

**In the bathroom, I had taken a seat on the sink, and Rebecca was leaning against my legs face-first - she had my shirt covering her front - with her back to Dean. Dean, who seemed even angrier than me when he saw the marks. I was sure Dean was thinking that if only Mr. Temple were here, he'd like to dish out a little of what Temple had been serving to Mr. Temple, himself. And honestly, who could blame Dean if he did. No child deserved to be treated like that. I guess it was like that Pat Benatar song, 'Hell is for Children'.**

**I watched as Dean began cleaning Rebecca's wounds with the gentlest of touches; she barely even flinched. But I didn't know if that was because Dean was being gentle of if it was because she was so used to pain, it didn't faze her much anymore. If that was the case…Mr. Temple was even more despicable than I'd thought.**

**And then I heard her cry out softly, probably from the burning sensation of the anti-bacteria cream Dean was using. She began digging her little hands into my legs, and she whispered "I'm sorry," over and over again. It was as if she thought we were going to hurt her further because she was voicing her pain.**

**I began stroking her hair and she settled down a little.**

**She probably had gone through the type of abuse where if she cried out, she only got punished more. And seriously? I wanted to be locked in a room with Mr. Temple for five minutes; that's all I needed. Give him some of his own medicine. I could definitely make him cry 'uncle'. Because the wrath of Alyson was nothing to mess with. As we'd found out before. Now if I could just learn how to control it…without Jack…we'd be fine.**

"**You okay?" I asked her softly, still running my fingers through her hair.**

"**It burns," she said, sounding resigned to the pain.**

**Dean, who had heard the tone, stopped applying the ointment and then began gently blowing against the welt he'd just covered. I felt Rebecca stiffen against me; she apparently wasn't used to someone being concerned that she was hurt, let alone someone trying to ease the pain. So Mrs. Temple can't have been too nice if she just let her suffer.**

**Hm…and pain she was comfortable with, but someone helping her made her fidgety? Mr. Temple needed every square inch of his ass kicked…repeatedly.**

**Dean continued blowing against her skin until Rebecca had relaxed a little, and then he stopped. "Better?"**

**She sniffled once and nodded. "Uh-huh."**

**He repeated that twice more - once for each welt - and tears would have filled my eyes at the exchange if I had let them.**

**After he'd finished cleaning the wounds, he used a large amount of bandage to cover them. He probably didn't want the shirt to rub up against them and start to irritate them.**

"**A'right, kiddo. All done."**

"**Thank you," Rebecca said shyly, putting the shirt on over her head.**

**Dean turned the faucet on and washed the cream off his hands and then turned back to Rebecca. "Ready for bed?"**

"**Yup," she said, and as if on cue, she yawned.**

**Dean made his way out of the bathroom and then we followed suit and went toward the bed. Dean climbed on first and then me. Rebecca scrambled up and then got between us again, comfortably.**

**She gingerly situated herself so her back wouldn't get hurt more. Surprisingly enough, it seemed the most comfortable position was on her back. Maybe the pressure made it feel better or maybe the warmth.**

**Anyway, the bed covers had been turned down already, so I pulled them up and over us. Rebecca grasped onto my hand after I got situated.**

**Before I turned the bedside lamp off I saw her grab Dean's hand, too, with her free one.**

**------------- -**

**After Rebecca had gone to sleep, Sam had almost immediately gone into what Dean and Jack had found at the Crowley farm-plant thing. We hadn't gone into that at all because Rebecca was with us. But Sam seemed almost anxious to begin.**

**It was rather annoying to have a conversation at all because my back was to Sam because Rebecca had my hand in hers, and I didn't want to risk waking her up by removing it.**

"**So, what happened?" Sam asked, turning the lamp back on, which didn't seem to faze Rebecca at all.**

"**Nothin'," Dean said. "No EMF, nothin'. Though it could've been the time we were there. You know, like that asylum place." He was talking about a case he and Sam had worked before I'd come into the picture, apparently, because I had no clue what he was referring to. "I mean, the first time we went in we couldn't find a trace of spirit activity and the second, the place was orbing like crazy."**

"**So we should go back tonight, yes?" Sam asked. "Alyson can stay here with Rebecca while we go."**

**Dean looked like he didn't care too much for that idea, and then he looked at the little girl sleeping next to him. An expression passed over his face and if I hadn't been paying close attention to him, I would've missed it. It was kinda wistful looking.**

**It didn't surprise me, really. Dean would love to have a child one day, a family that was just _his_. I wasn't gonna be so presumptuous as to say it was gonna be with me, but I'd be okay with it if it was. As long as it wasn't anytime soon. It would have to be after hunting was over - if it was ever over - because Dean wouldn't want to bring a child into this world just to make him or her into a hunter. And he wouldn't be an absentee father, either. He knew what that did to a person and he wouldn't do it to his own child. And as good as he was at hunting, he would choose family over hunting every time. The only reason he was continuing hunting at the moment was because Sam was still doing it.**

"**Nah, we can go tomorrow night," Dean replied. "Tomorrow is probably better anyway. It'll be Friday night and the plant will be closed down for the weekend." He looked at Rebecca again. "I wonder if she knows anything," he sounded more like he was talking to himself than me or Sam.**

**I answered anyway. "Mrs. Temple said Becca used to hang out with Aaron and Stacey. It's possible they could've told her something."**

"**Did she say anything to you or Sam?" Dean looked from me and his brother, and I shook my head. "Oh."**

"**Yeah," I said softly. "The first ting she said was, 'please don't hurt me'. She was so scared." I paused, getting my thoughts together, and then continued. "I don't understand why anyone could hurt a child. I mean…I agree with teaching a child right from wrong, but if you leave bruises, you've crossed a line. Parents are supposed to protect their kids, not hurt them."**

"**Some people are twisted," Dean said.**

**I heard Sam sigh in what seemed like frustration. "How are we gonna do this? I mean, the way it sounds, there's a ghost haunting the place. Probably the same guy who did it the first time, but nobody knows who it was so we have absolutely nothing to go on."**

**Oh, right. The case. I was more focused on the little girl who was sleeping beside me. I was thinking about what was gonna happen to her when we had to leave this place. Hopefully we'd be able to do something for her before.**

**------------- -**

**The next morning I woke up to an odd clicking sound. It wasn't loud; it was actually quite soft. So soft that I was beginning to think it hadn't been what had awoken me. I had just woken up on my own, and that had been the first thing I'd heard.**

**I opened my eyes and rolled over, realizing that my hand was free now. I was alone in the bed, so I looked for where the clicking noise was coming from.**

**I smiled slightly when I saw that it was coming from the table; Dean and Rebecca were playing cards, him on one side, her on the other. The clicking sound was made by the cards landing on the table.**

**I sat up slowly and rubbed my face to wake myself up more. It didn't work much, but it helped a little.**

**The girl's voice, however, made me fully alert. "Morning, Alyson," she said sweetly.**

"**Mornin', Becca." I stood up slowly and walked over to the table. "What're you guys doin'?" I looked at Dean, grinning. "You're not teachin' her to play poker, are you?"**

"**I would never," Dean sounded mock-offended.**

"**Sure you wouldn't."**

"**We're playing Go Fish," Rebecca said, coming to his rescue. "Dean teached me how to shuffle." I grinned at her use of the word 'teached'. "I'm not good at it," she claimed. "He says it's 'cause my hands are small, but I'll do better when I grow."**

"**Sounds right to me," I said.**

**I heard a movement and looked to see Sam sitting up in his bed, rubbing his face much like I had. I looked at the clock on the nightstand; it was 9:30.**

"**Sweetie, when does Mr. Temple go to work?" I was loathe to bring it up but I had to.**

"**He's already here," she commented. "He leaves early and get home at supper time."**

"**Where's he work?" Sam asked.**

"**At the place Stacey was kilt," she said it simply, and nobody said anything at the way she'd mispronounced the word 'killed'.**

"**Your dad works at the Crowley Plant?" Sam asked.**

"**He's not my daddy," Rebecca said adamantly. "But, yes, he works there."**

"**How long has he worked there, Becca?" Dean asked, using my nickname for her.**

"**Since it opened again," she said softly. "That's when it _all_ started."**

**That sounded vaguely cryptic, so I asked her to specify. "When what started?"**

**Rebecca lifted a hand to her bruised cheek. Clearly, she meant that the abuse hadn't happened until Mr. Temple started working at the Plant. I was pretty sure that couldn't really be a coincidence.**

**Dean suddenly took his phone out of his pocket - it must've been on vibrate because I hadn't heard his ringtone - and he answered it with a, "yeah?" A five second pause, and then, "Yeah, she's right here. Hold on."**

**He handed the phone over to me. "It's Ash."**

**I grimaced inwardly. I'd totally forgotten that I'd sent the picture of the letters-symbol I'd found yesterday to him. And I'd turned my phone off too. I hadn't even shown Dean the picture yet.**

"**Hey, Ash," I said apologetically.**

"**Girl, where've you been? I've been tryin' to get hold of you since last night."**

**He was worried. Yeah, Ash could be a goofball sometimes, but the concern he had in his voice right now was very real.**

"**Everything's okay. Something came up and I wasn't able to take any calls. Sorry," I said sincerely. "Really, I am. Um, did you find anything?"**

**Dean was looking at me, confused, and I held up a finger to tell him I'd explain after I got off the phone.**

"**I did. That's what I've been trying to get a hold of you for. It is the sign for the plant, but it's also the mark the person left back in the 1940's when the first rash of murders happened."**

"**Do you know who did it?" I asked quietly, hopefully.**

"**Naw, nothin' concrete." He sighed before continuing. "But smart money's on Josiah Crowley, the man who owned the place back then. He had a bunch of land in the area you're in."**

"**And the initials? What is that? Why would he leave them?"**

"**I don't know," Ash replied. "But after he died there was never another killin'. Until now. Oh and by the way, that Lillian Chase woman you told me 'bout…she doesn't exist. She's not in any up-to-date database. The only Lillian Chase in Lexington, Kentucky, that I could find died in 1945. Wife of Josiah Crowley."**

"**Oh, wow, his name just keeps popping up, doesn't it?"**

"**Yeah, that's my thought," he agreed.**

"**Okay. Thanks, Ash, I owe ya one."**

**I snapped the phone shut and handed it to Dean, who had a mock-angry look on his face. "You've got other guys callin' you on _my _phone?"**

"**Oh, yes," I said playfully. "Ash's and my love is the romance of the century."**

**Dean nodded. "I knew there was somethin' goin' on between you two the last time we were at the Roadhouse."**

**I shook my head, smiling fondly, and said, "are we through with this game?"**

"**Yeah," Dean said. "What'd he want?"**

"**Oh, I called him yesterday. There was this symbol on Stacey's floor and it looked like it had been burned there."**

**I got my cell phone out and turned it on to show Dean the picture, and then I went over everything Ash had just told me, leaving out anything that could be considered supernatural, which wasn't much aside from the mark appearing again after all these years, and the murders starting up again.**

**Truth was, I didn't think we should be talking about this with Rebecca around, but she was here…and we couldn't just not talk about it. There was a case that needed to be solved and _we_ were the Scooby gang.**

"**So, to make a long story less long," Sam said. "We need to go to the library."**

**I quirked an eyebrow up and said, "yeah, pretty much." I sighed. "We need to find out about when Ms. Chase - the dead one - became Mrs. Crowley and how she died."**

"**And we should find out what the present Lillian Chase knows," Dean said. "Since that's not her real name."**

**I hadn't noticed, but the cards weren't on the table anymore, and Rebecca was paying more attention then I would've liked. Murder conversations weren't for children's ears.**

**I squatted down beside her and we were almost eye-level now. "What do you know about Ms. Chase?"**

"**She likes kids," Rebecca said hurriedly, almost like she thought we might get angry if she didn't answer promptly. "And she makes good cookies." And then more quietly, she said. "And she's always there after Mr. Temple goes to work. She helps Mommy."**

**In my opinion, no one could help Mrs. Temple until she wanted to be helped. Until she convinced herself she was better than a human punching bag for some man to take his anger out on. She needed to realize that if Mr. Temple really loved her - the way love was meant to be - then he couldn't do that to her.**

"**Cool," Dean said. "Two birds, one stone." Right. Lillian, or whoever she was, would be at the Temple house and we had to go there anyway.**

**There was a knock at the door, and I just knew it had to be Jack, so I went and opened the door. And, yup, it was him. And I hadn't known him for long, but already I could tell when something was wrong…like now. He had the same frown-face that I did.**

**Oh, and it was snowing. Great.**

"**What? You don't like the weather?" I snarked.**

"**Another kid was killed last night," he said softly, looking past me and to Rebecca. "It's on the news. And I'm sorry for being an asshole last night."**

**I moved away to let him in. "Don't worry about it. I'm getting used to it."**

**He winced at the words as if I'd physically hit him…he was still bruised from our last encounter. Strangely enough, I felt guilty for punching him even though he'd deserved it. Maybe Dean was right and I was too nice.**

**Jack went to the TV and put it on the local news station. It was footage of the plant from earlier this morning. Before anything disturbing could come on, I ushered Rebecca into the bathroom, grabbing her dress on the way.**

"**Come on, sweetie, we're gonna get you ready, okay?"**

**She nodded and followed me without question. Whether it was because she trusted me, or because she thought I might snap is she didn't, I wasn't sure but she followed nonetheless.**

**When she got her dress on she let me zip it up for her, making me see where the bandage was, renewing my anger. Although, to be honest, it soothed me to know they were probably less likely to get infected now.**

"**Alyson," she said hesitantly. "Can we go for ice cream?"**

**Was she actually asking for something she wanted? Wow, I guess she did trust me. But…**

"**We haven't even had breakfast yet," I reminded her softly. "How 'bout after?"**

"**But before lunch?"**

**I smiled. "All right, before lunch. And guess what?"**

"**What?"**

"**Dean is gonna love you for suggesting ice cream." _Even though it is snowing outside_, I added silently.**

**------------- -**

**By the time we got to the Temple house it had stopped snowing, but there was a couple inches coating the ground. Luckily, the roads weren't slick.**

**Anyway, when we got there we didn't get an answer. So, naturally, we picked the lock. No one was in the living room. I didn't know if that was a good sign or not, but I assumed it meant that Mr. Temple wasn't home, even though I was sure the plant would be closed because of the body that was found there. But it also meant that Ms. Chase wasn't here either, or she would've answered.**

**We'd found out from the news that this time it was a boy named Derek Summers who had been killed, he was the oldest so far. He was ten. And that's where Jack was now, at the plant, finding out whatever he could.**

"**Mommy," Rebecca called out.**

"**She's probably upstairs," I said. "That's where she was yesterday."**

**Rebecca headed for the stairs even before I'd finished speaking so I followed along. By the time I was halfway up the stairs I could just feel that something was wrong. It wasn't like the vibe I was used to…it was more just that everything was eerily quiet - deathly silent.**

**Rebecca was already at the top of the stairs when a sense of serious déjà vu came over me. Me walking up the stairs in my old house to my mom's room to find her dead on the floor.**

**But that couldn't be happening here. Right?**

"**Becca, wait for me," I said, running to catch up. I felt one of the guys behind me and when he touched my back I knew it was Dean.**

**We went to the room I'd been in yesterday and Becca opened the door. And, okay, it was happening here almost exactly like it had happened with me.**

**Mrs. Temple was lying on the ground, only the blood that was flowing from this woman wasn't coming from her neck, it was coming from her head. Her temple - take a moment to embrace the irony - to be exact.**

**Her face was as bad as it had been yesterday, and she was wearing a light pink night gown.**

"**Mama," Rebecca said, moving forward quickly, and went down to kneel beside Mrs. Temple. When she didn't get an answer, Rebecca shook her lightly. "Come alive, Mama. Please come alive."**

**I went to Rebecca and tried to move her away from Mrs. Temple, but stopped when she heartbreakingly said, "Don't be dead, you can't be dead!"**

**I looked back at Dean with a 'help me' expression, and he knelt down on the other side of me and checked for Mrs. Temple's pulse. Why hadn't I thought of that? It was, like, the first rule of first aid: If someone was unconscious you check for a pulse.**

"**Becca, she's alive," Dean said soothingly. "She just needs to go to the hospital. We're gonna have to call the cops." Dean moved from my side to hers and grabbed her shoulders gently; she didn't seem scared. "Now, listen to me, 'cause this is important, okay?"**

"**Uh-huh," she said tearfully.**

"**If anyone asks - anybody - your mom gave you permission to be with us, a'right? That's what you say if anyone asks, 'kay?"**

"**Uh-huh."**

"**Good," he replied, wiping her tears away. "Good girl." Then he turned my way. "Get her outta here, and I'll make the call."**

"**Yeah," I said. "Yeah, okay."**

**------------- -**

**When the cops got to the house, the ambulance right behind them, they had to ask us the routine questions while the paramedics loaded Mrs. Temple into the ambulance.**

**They were asking all sorts of questions that we didn't know the answer to or we just couldn't answer. Eventually, they tried to take Rebecca with them, at which she started crying and clinging onto Dean's leg.**

"**Look," Dean began, stroking Rebecca's hair, "she's fine with us. She spent the night with us last night. We were just bringing her home and we found Mrs. Temple like that. Isn't it better to leave her with us than to take her to the station where she'll be alone? We can take care of her."**

"**Until we contact her dad," the officer in charge said.**

"**Actually, he's the one who did this," I spoke up. "I'm pretty sure, anyway."**

**And then of course, I had to go through my whole story of how I'd been here yesterday - leaving out the child psychologist thing.**

"**And the bruise on her cheek? He did that too," I said. "The man's nuts. He works at the plant where the kids have been found."**

"**Are you saying you think he had something to do with what's been happening?"**

"**No," I said. "I'm saying he's been abusing his wife and kid."**

**Of course me telling the police this didn't do a thing unless Mrs. Temple decided to press charges if she woke up.**

**------------- -**

**We had to stay at the house for an hour, at least, just answering questions, but eventually the police left.**

"**Okay, so now what?" Sam asked tiredly. "Someone needs to be at the hospital for when Mrs. Temple wakes up. Someone needs to go see Ms. Chase. Jack's already at the library-"**

"**Sam," I interrupted his rant. "Chill. You're not known as the Winchesters for nothing. I can go to the hospital with Becca and you guys go talk to Lillian."**

**Sam seemed hesitant. "Ah, I don't know. She might respond better to just me."**

"**I think she might respond better to Alyson," Dean said. "She's the one who saw the symbol thing, which looks like a brand mark, now that I think about it. You know, like the thing they brand cows with. A branding iron."**

"**Yeah, that Josiah guy," Sam said. "Lillian did say it was the logo for his plant, right?"**

"**Yup," I agreed, and then felt an insistent little tug on my arm. Rebecca was crying again.**

"**I wanna go see Mommy," she said.**

"**Yeah, okay," I said. "We can do that. But we should get some of your things together first. And you should change your dress…it's cold outside, you don't wanna get sick."**

"**Come with me?" She asked pleadingly.**

"**Sure." Thinking, I added, "Or you can just tell me where your room is and I can go get some clothes for you."**

**I was surprised when she took me by the hand and began leading me to the stairs. Turns out her room was the same one Mr. Temple had told me was Aaron's. Now I'd be able to see if the mark was there, too.**

**Rebecca opened the door and the first thing I noticed was two beds. One had race cars on the covers; the other had elf-looking things on them. The room was tinted blue with little white squiggly lines that could've been birds, but I wasn't sure.**

**In the side of the room there was a white four-drawer dresser; it was shiny so I assumed it was polished. Though instead of going to the dresser, Rebecca went to the closet on the opposite side of the room.**

**I hadn't noticed it before, but the doors in this house had the old-timey doors that had the keyholes under the knob. That seemed a little strange to me, because this wasn't exactly an old fashioned house.**

**Anyway, I saw her get a pair of stretch pants out of the closet, and then I told her to get a couple pairs since we didn't know how long she'd be with us.**

**About two seconds later, Dean walked into the room holding the weapons bag from the trunk of the car, only it was empty.**

"**Thought you might need this," he said, handing it to me.**

**I place the bag on the elf bed and then turned back to Dean. "I'm assuming you're going to be the one who goes to the hospital?"**

"**Yeah, Sam's gonna drop me and Rebecca off and then take you to that lady's place, see what you can find out.**

**We got her stuff together - it was enough for three days - and then we checked the room for the mark and, sure enough, it was there, only this time it wasn't under a window. It was near his bed.**

"**Becca, did someone come into the room the night Aaron disappeared?" I asked.**

**She didn't say anything, but she shook her head. It was more a she didn't know rather than just a no. Which seemed weird because she slept in here with him, didn't she?**

"**Did he not come home that night?" I asked.**

"**He was in here," she said. "But I wasn't."**

"**Where were you then?" Dean asked.**

"**There's a room downstairs that I stay in sometimes when Mr. Temple thinks I'm…being bad."**

**Stay? Probably should read locked up, but I wasn't gonna make any assumptions. But then again, someone who abuses their wife and child shouldn't get the benefit of any doubt, in my opinion. As the saying goes: If they do it once, they will more than likely do it again.**

* * *

So, as always...please review. Let me know what you think.


	29. Little Responsibilities Pt Three

****

****

Okay, so...yeah. I've been trying to update for about two days now and it wouldn't let me upload. Eventually I tried copying and pasting and if you're reading this right now then it worked. LOL

Flight815Down: You seemed really upset about my ending the chapter. :) And to answer your question...YES, I'm glad you're reviewing again. The reviews mean a lot to me. Sometimes they're what keeps me writing. Okay, loving the (analagies? metaphors? similies?) about the chapter. LOL. You came up with some very flattering stuff. Thanks for thinking the story is FABULOUS. That's the best compliment ever. Oh, and about the spiel(LOL) from Alyson about Dean wanting a family...that Lisa scene totally went through my mind too. And AHHH! About spoilers? There's only certain episodes that I'm completely sure about. The others I just make it up as I go along. Um...I'm doing Nightshifter after this case is over. (not exactly a spoiler, but it's the next thing I'm doing) I know I didn't do Play Things, but I did take a few scenes from it. Like when Sam's drunk. (Because I think that's a central part of the story line, and it fits in with Born Under a Bad Sign. (I'm doing that one too...and Jo's not gonna be in it, I don't think. Dean has Alyson. so who needs Jo as bait, right?" By the way, love the use of all the exclamations points.

Random Surfer: Hey, thanks for reviewing! And seeing as to how you generally don't read fan fiction, it's a great compliment that you're reading mine. So, thank you. Oh, and should I be sorry or happy that you lost sleep? On the one hand...lack of sleep. On the other...you say my story is addicting. LOL. That's flattering, by the way. So, again, thank you. And enjoy reading. And please continue reviewing. Oh, and by the way, I know what you mean about the well written thing. But I'm kinda quirky and too many mistakes makes me nuts.

Dequira: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you're enjoying the story line. And wow, another person says their addicted. Thanks again. Enjoy.

magsdls: Ah, I know, I like Becca too! It sucks they're gonna have to leave her behind. I mean, her home life sucks...and you'll see what happens...LOL. And about Jack...I do have a story line drawn out for him, but I can't really say anything much without giving it away. But I'm gonna say he won't always be around. He'll come in and out of it for a while until they need him or something to that effect. Anyway, thanks for reviewing.

Little Responsibilities  
Part Three

Sam and I pulled up to a little wooden house on Slent Street - the street Ms. Chase or whatever her name was lived - and got out of the car. This was one of those houses that were small but cozy. There were white curtains covering the windows.

The plan was to get in, get the information, and go back to the hospital. We'd find out about how Rebecca's mom was doing, and then Sam would go to Derek's family's house, which was on the same street as the other two kids. Definitely not a coincidence, and we seriously needed to find out what was wrong with that street since that seemed to be the hotspot for whatever was doing this to these kids.

It had started snowing again and I made a mental note to get a warmer coat than I already owned. Me being from San Francisco, I wasn't exactly used to really cold weather in general, let alone snow…so to say I was freezing was an understatement. And usually cold weather didn't bother me; then again it _was_ cool enough to snow.

When we got to the door I knocked and I saw the white curtain move inside. About ten seconds later the door opened. There Lillian was - or whoever she was - and she looked more than a little ruffled. She was in a thick robe, which wasn't exactly strange in and of itself, because it wasn't that late, but she was shaking something awful.

"Bad morning?" I asked seriously. I wasn't gonna make jokes while she was obviously upset.

She looked from me to Sam. "I take it you've heard?"

"If you're referring to the child that was killed last night, then yes," Sam said. "Can we come in and ask you a few questions?"

"No, I'm sorry. I don't know anything."

She went to close the door but I put my foot in so it wouldn't latch.

"What about that symbol?" I started. "I'll bet the farm you know what it means."

"Please get your foot out of my door," she said softly.

"No," I said. "Ms. Chase, kids are dying left and right. And you know something, possible something that will stop it. Now you have two choices here. You can tell us what you know and help us stop this. Or you can continue to play I-have-a-secret, and let other innocent children die." She didn't say anything. She didn't even move. So I continued. "I wonder how many more kids will be killed. And if you'll be able to live with the fact that you could've stopped it."

And hey, I knew that sounded harsh, but it needed to be said. Maybe she would cooperate now.

"I don't know…everything," she said.

"That's fine," Sam said politely. "Just tell us what you _do_ know. Anything could help."

Lillian nodded and let us in, leading us to the sitting room. The furniture was a shiny brown; they consisted of a couch and two chairs. Sam and I took the couch, and she took one of the chairs.

"What do you wanna know?" she asked.

"Your real name, for starters," I said bluntly, realizing that it sounded hypocritical seeing as to how she thought my name was Sarah Carson, a child psychologist.

She seemed surprised to find out that we knew that juicy tidbit. "Everyone knows me as Lillian Chase," she said curtly. "I've been called that for a long time. _That_ is my name now."

"What was it before?" Sam asked.

"Susan. Susan Crowley. Lillian Chase was my mother."

Okay, so…I hadn't seen that coming. This changed things a little, but it didn't change the fact that we needed whatever we could get from her.

"I was ten when my mother died," she began. "Nobody could ever prove anything, but I know it was Josiah Crowley - I haven't called him my father for a while now - who did it. Child services took me away while the investigation went on…and that's when the _real_ trouble started."

"What'd you mean?" Sam asked softly. "And how do you know it was Josiah that killed your mom?"

"Well, they would fight a lot. But…and bear with me because I was really young, but I honestly don't think they fought until he took up the job at the Plant; he worked his way up to manager."

"Now, did he buy it from somebody? Or maybe inherit it?"

"It'd been in his family for years. Anyway, once he started working there, he got strange. He started drinking, becoming violent. It was as if working there changed him."

"And they took you away from him?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "And that made things worse. Before that, kids weren't dying. But after they took me…it was like he was trying to get the people back for taking me from him."

I bit my lip, thinking about Rebecca and the family she'd been staying with. "You sound so sure that it was him. How? Did he ever hurt you? Or say anything that would make you think that?"

A sad, bitter smile came over her face. "Hurt me?" She moved to tug her sleeve of the robe and I stared in shock. The letter J and C were scarred into her skin near the back of her wrist. It was a mini version of the symbol I'd seen yesterday. "He branded me."

"Why?" I breathed.

"Don't ask me to understand his reasoning behind it, but he said it was because I was good and he wanted everyone to know I was his." She shuddered. "I remember it hurt for two weeks after he did it."

"Do you remember anything else?" Sam asked. "Really, did you ever notice anything strange?"

"No…after working at the Plant he kept me and my mother so afraid. He was always going on about how good people go to heaven and the wicked ones burn in hell." She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Like I said, he was different…I remember he had been a very affectionate person; everyone loved him, but it's like that place brings out the worst in people. I know a lot of the workers - even now - say that place makes 'em feel weird. Depressed or angry, like they either wanna die or lash out at the first person who comes along."

"What happened to Josiah Crowley?" I asked. "I know that after he died, the killings stopped and the town decided to close the Plant down until now. But how did he die?"

"Well, he killed himself," she said simply. "The town folks who thought he was still a good person said it was because his life had gone to hell. His wife was dead, they'd taken me away…But I know the truth." She paused and looked as if she were savoring the fact that he was dead. "He finally took a look in the mirror and didn't like what he saw, so he hung himself…in the very place that had driven him insane."

"The Plant," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

I looked at Sam, and I could practically see the wheels in his brain start to rotate. Something was clicking into place, I assumed, even though I didn't really know what it could be aside from a ghost. The ghost of Josiah Crowley, but that wouldn't explain why _he_ began acting strange. And so the only think I could think was it was either the building or the grounds it had been built on.

"How long did Josiah work at the Plant before he changed?" Sam asked.

"Well, originally…he didn't even wanna work there. He didn't want to get somewhere with the help of his father. He wanted to make his own way. I remember he and mother talked about it before he took the job. After the first week he was just…a whole new person. Angry and…it was a year before my mother died, but she put up with a lot of abuse. So when she turned up beaten to death…yes, I knew it was him."

"Now, you said the Plant has been in your family for years. You own it now?"

She sighed. "Yes. I didn't want to start it up again, but I figured that it would bring the Plant money, which I give most of to the town."

"Are you planning on shutting it down any time soon?"

"It would probably be best," she said. "But that Plant is the number one employer around here. I'd have a lot of angry people howlin' at me about puttin' them out of a job."

"Kids are dying," I reminded her. "Don't ya think that's a little more important?"

"Ms. Chase, did they ever give you back to your father?" Sam asked, before Lillian, or Susan - whatever - could answer.

Lillian grimaced as if acknowledging Josiah Crowley as her father caused her physical pain.

"When the investigation was over they put me back with him. Nobody believed me when I told them he was crazy."

"And he died when?"

"1948. I was thirteen. That's when he found the bodies of the children. At first, he acted like he didn't know who they were but then it was like he just…"

"Suddenly remembered?" Sam asked, brain still going.

"Right," she agreed. "But people don't just kill people without knowing it and then wake up one day and…"

She seemed like she was at a loss for words. Not that I blamed her. The story sounded strange even to me…and I specialized in strangeness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, what'd you think?" I asked Sam as we got into the Impala. "Is it like the Amityville deal? Or _The_ _Shining_? I mean, the place itself is driving them crazy, right?"

"I dunno," Sam said. "But we're definitely dealing with either cursed or haunted grounds." He paused, thoughtful. "I wonder what was there before this Plant was built."

"I think we should check the local archives. They'd probably have something about the ground it was built on."

"Yeah, well, Jack should still be at the library, so we'll just call him, ask him to check it out," Sam suggested.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And we need to talk to Rebecca about Mr. Temple. Remember, she said that the abuse started when he began working at the Plant?"

"Okay, you or Dean can do that. She's great with you two."

I didn't say anything to that. Instead, I went back to talking about Jack. "I think one of _us_ should go to the library. Maybe help Jack or, ya know, watch over him."

Sam gave me a questioning look.

"What?" I asked. "It's not that I don't trust him -" I broke myself off. "Okay, it is that I don't trust him, but you gotta admit it's strange. That he just shows up, tells us that story, and he's given us no proof that it's true. Granted, we don't know if it's _not_ true, either. But I mean, you get where I'm comin' from, right?"

Sam shook his head, smiling slightly. "I wondered why it took you so long to say that." He started the car, but didn't start driving. "D'you want me to go to the library? I can drop you off at the hospital."

"Yeah," I said. "That's fine, but you still need to talk to Derek's family."

Sam nodded. "I know." And then after a few minutes of silence he said, "You know the only reason Dean puts up with him is out of respect for you."

"Jack kinda irks Dean's nerves, huh?" I laughed a little because, honestly, I got where Dean was coming from. I mean, Jack's story was just so…suspicious.

It wasn't even the fact that I didn't think he was who he said he was. I did think he was my dad. It was more that he hadn't actually proved that he was a hunter. Granted, other than the Gordon thing, this was the only case I'd been on with him, but he had yet to _prove_ he knew a thing about hunting. Aside from the fact that he was still alive…but that didn't prove he was a hunter. He just knew how to ward off demons. You could learn that in any demon book out there. I mean, I'd read about the salt thing even before I'd met Sam and Dean.

About three minutes later we were pulling into a parking spot but it wasn't at the hospital. We were at the library.

"What're we doing here?" I asked, confused.

"Well," Sam started, "it seemed kinda senseless for us to have both cars, right?"

"I can drive?" I began grinning.

"Yeah," Sam said, opening the door to get out. "Just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, scooting over to the driver's side.

I tested the pedals to make sure I could reach since I was so much shorter than both of them. Surprisingly, I reached just fine.

"Okay, well, see ya later," I said, shutting the door. I didn't have to start the car because Sam hadn't cut it off.

I watched as Sam walked away and made sure he got in okay. Then I put the car into reverse and back out of the spot. I vaguely wondered what Dean would say when I got to the hospital and told him I'd been driving alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When I got to the hospital parking lot it took a while to fine a space to put the car. The visitor's parking lot was packed, so it was kind of hard to find a spot.

After I parked the car, I got my cell phone out and called Dean to see what part of the hospital he was in. It didn't hit me until then that he wasn't even supposed to have it on, but he answered anyway.

"Um, I'm in the waiting room in the ER. They just took her back for a CAT Scan. We haven't heard anything."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm here now so I'll meet up with you in a minute."

"Hey, just wait for us at the entrance. We were getting ready to go to the cafeteria anyway."

"'Kay," and I hung up.

As planned, we met up at the entrance, where I tossed his keys to him.

He kinda looked confused for a minute. "You drove my car?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. And don't worry, she's fine. I'm an excellent driver. Sam's at the library with Jack, makin' sure he does the job right. He said it would be kind of stupid for them to have both cars, so…tada! I got driving privileges."

I smiled proudly until I saw that Rebecca, who had hold of Dean's hand, had red-rimmed eyes. It was probably all the waiting that was getting to her.

"After we find something out we should take her somewhere. Help her get her mind off of this."

Dean agreed hastily. "Yeah. Good idea. We can get her a few things to keep her occupied later when we go to the Plant tonight."

"Okay. Yeah. So am I staying with her…or what?" I looked up at Dean as we started walking. "I mean, I know you don't want me anywhere near the Plant. That's why I told Jack to come along. After the stunt he pulled, I had half a mind to tell him to go away. But I figured he could help even if I couldn't."

"Do you _wanna_ stay at the motel with her?"

I smiled as I felt Becca grab my hand with her free one. "Honestly? I don't mind…Just don't make a habit of it. I hate not knowing if you guys are okay."

Up to now, that had never been a problem because I'd always been with them when the dangerous stuff went down, but tonight I knew I'd be on edge until Dean and Sam came home safely.

"It's gonna bug me too, ya know," Dean said, dragging me out of my gloomy thoughts. "Not knowing what I'll find when I get back."

That touched me more than I could admit without making Dean feel uncomfortable. I wanted to grab his hand, or maybe even kiss him, but Rebecca was between us.

So instead, I settled on insisting, "I'll be there, safe and sound."

Finally, we made it to the cafeteria where Rebecca wanted a soda…a Pepsi, to be exact.

"I dunno 'bout that," Dean said. "You should eat somethin' first. You don't wanna get sick, do you?

She shook her head quickly and then we decided to eat so she could have her soda.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When we finished eating we went back to the ER and found that Mrs. Temple had finally been admitted to a room, and the doctors were just waiting for the results of the CAT Scan. And she still hadn't woken up; she probably wouldn't for a while.

So we did what Dean said we should, and we went to the store. Along the way, I told him about what we'd found out and he came up with the same theory Sam and I had. The whole cursed or haunted grounds.

I hated talking about anything dealing with this with Becca with us, but we had to talk about it because we didn't want anymore kids to die over this.

Anyway, when we got to Walmart we got her a coloring book - all kids like them - and crayons for later and we got a movie - 101 Dalmatians - that we'd watch on Sam's computer. It would hopefully take my mind off of how long Sam and Dean would be gone.

Then I went and bought the jacket I'd been thinking about getting earlier. It was a shiny black leather jacket, and it was a lot warmer than the one I already owned.

After that we went to a place for ice cream only because I'd promised Rebecca we could get some. And I tried not to break promises if I could help it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After we got done doing what needed to be done, we went back to the hospital to see if Mrs. Temple was awake. Surprisingly, she was. The problem was that Mr. Temple was outside the room, trying to get in. Apparently, the police had told the hospital not to allow him visitation rights.

His gaze met mine, and cold fury filled his face, and then he spotted Rebecca, and he left the doctors and the orderlies to move towards us. Dean, being who he was, got in front of both me and Rebecca.

"You!" he exclaimed. "You're the reason I can't see my wife!"

"That's because you attacked her," I blurted out.

"You took my kid away from me." He actually managed to sound disappointed at that. Wow.

"Funny, you didn't seem to care yesterday."

He glared at me and nothing was said for a minute so I picked Rebecca up and tried not to irritate her back. "Come on, sweetie, let's go see your mom."

I started to go around Dean, but something about the atmosphere changed and I got the chills, much like I did with demons and vengeful spirits. I stayed where I was.

"I'd like my daughter back, please," Mr. Temple said through clenched teeth.

"No," Dean said firmly. "Ya see, the police won't let you have her back until they've made sure you're innocent. Have they even talked to you yet?"

Mr. Temple didn't say anything; he just turned an unnaturally white color.

I became aware that Rebecca had begun to clench her small hands tightly near the back of my neck. Being here while we were having this conversation was probably scaring her. Anything dealing with Mr. Temple, period, would probably get the same reaction, actually.

And then Mr. Temple was talking again. "Please, she's my daughter. I just want her back."

Neither Dean nor I said anything; we just went around him. That is until he grabbed my shoulder.

"I said I want her back. Now." And was this guy a broken record or what?

"No," I said. "Look, Mr. Temple, I know you're used to getting your way. I mean, you have you wife and child so afraid of you that they'll do whatever you say, no questions asked. But _I'm_ not scared you." I paused, reveling in the shock that came over his face. "How do you deal with people like _that_, I wonder?"

He removed his hand from my shoulder, turned around, and then literally stomped his way away from us. And as he went…so did the chills.

"Something's wrong with him," I said softly, but firmly.

"Yeah," Dean said. "He's an abusive bastard."

I nodded my agreement, but then said, "no, I mean, something's _wrong_ with him. I got the chills while he was here, and now that he's gone…"

"They're gone," Dean said, completing the sentence for me.

"Yeah." Then my focus settled on the little girl in my arms. Man, she was shaking like a leaf. How had I not noticed that before? "Hey, everything's okay. It's fine. He can't hurt you while you're with us."

"But you're not gonna always be here," she stated. "Are you?"

I looked over at Dean, who looked like he didn't really know what to say to that. And to be honest, I didn't know what to say either. I mean, clearly, whatever had affected Josiah Crowley in the 1940's was affecting Mr. Temple now.

"We may not always be here," I started. "But we're gonna fix this so he won't hurt you anymore." _Hopefully soon_, I added silently.

We went into the hospital room and saw Mrs. Temple sitting up in bed. Her face was still bruised, of course, and she had a bandage on her head. I assumed they had had to shave part of her head to get to the wound. Her right eye was almost swollen shut and her lower lip was twice it's size. Her hair seemed flat and oily like it usually did when someone was in the hospital. But she was awake, which meant we could talk to her.

"Mrs. Temple?" I said softly. "Do you remember me?"

She squinted over at us. "Sarah…Conner?"

"Carson," I corrected. "Child psychologist."

"Right," she breathed. She sounded like it caused her pain to talk. She caught sight of the bundle in my arms that was Rebecca, and her eyes brightened a little. "Rebecca, you're okay. You didn't come home last night."

"She was with us," Dean spoke up.

Her gaze went to me again; her eyes were accusing. "You took her. Didn't you?"

"Not exactly. She kind of hid herself in our car. She said she was running away. We didn't want anything to happen to her, so we decided to keep her with us. Seeing as to how you're in the hospital right now, I'd say that was a good decision on our part."

"Why do you stay with him?" Dean asked suddenly. "If he treats you like that…why do you stay?"

"I love him," she whispered. "I don't know why he acts the way he does. He wasn't always like that."

"Until he started workin' at that Plant? Yeah, Becca told us," I replied. "Did he ever say anything to you about why he became like that?"

"He blamed it on Rebecca and Aaron, he said they were more trouble than they were worth."

Rebecca began wriggling in my arms so I let her down. She went straight for her mom, but she didn't get on the bed; she just stood there. Maybe she was afraid of hurting Mrs. Temple further.

"She's gonna stay with you until I get out?"

I nodded. "Probably best, don't you think?"

"But I'll get her back?"

"That depends. I did tell the police what happened. I think it'll be up to them. They're gonna investigate your husband, so they're probably gonna wanna talk to you."

"Yeah," Dean began, "and take our advice and tell the truth. There are places you can go where you and Rebecca will be safe."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We stayed at the hospital until Rebecca's mom fell back to sleep. We didn't really wanna leave her by herself, but we were fairly certain that Mr. Temple wouldn't come back, and even if he did, he wasn't allowed to go into her room.

On the way back to the motel Dean and I started talking about the case again. Rebecca didn't seem to mind, which kinda bugged me because she was a child, and children should _not_ be okay with these kinds of talks. Really.

"So, at least we know who's doing this," I commented. "Now we just need to find out how to stop it."

"Yeah, ya know, I'm thinkin' we should still do the old salt and burn on Josiah Crowley, just to make sure."

"Yeah, you guys can do that tonight after you've checked out the Plant place."

There was suddenly little pieces of ice hitting the window; it was sleeting.

"The roads are probably gonna ice over tonight, so be careful while you're out there."

"Always am," Dean replied.

I scoffed lightly. "No, you're not. You're just sayin' that to make me feel better."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the time we got to the motel it was 7:30 and it was already dark. The Charger was in the parking lot so that meant that Sam was back, as was Jack.

Sam was sitting at the table - the laptop was on and open but he wasn't using it - and he seemed to be in a broody mood. There was a weird stench in the air, kinda like alcohol, but I couldn't see where it was coming from. There didn't seem to be anything of the sort in the room at the moment.

"So," Dean started. "What'd you and Jack find out at the library. Cursed grounds? Indian burial grounds…or what?"

"You're bossy," Sam slurred, looking towards Dean. He looked rather drunk and maybe a little pitiful.

Dean glanced at him. "What?"

Sam spread his arms in a 'what?' sort of gesture. "You're bossy," he repeated as if the fact were the most obvious thing in the world. "And short." Sam laughed.

"Are you drunk?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Yeah. So? Stupid."

"Dude, what're you thinkin'? We're workin' a case." Dean sounded disappointed.

Sam was quiet for a moment, and then, "Those kids that were killed…Derek, I couldn't save him."

"What're you talking about?" Dean asked. "You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything."

Sam, on the verge of breaking down said, "that's just an excuse, Dean. I should've _found_ a way to save him. I should've saved Ava, too."

"Yeah, well, you can't save everyone. Even you said that."

Sam hit the table with his fist - the one without the cast - and Rebecca jumped. I wondered briefly if I should leave and take Rebecca someplace less…homelike. Besides, this was clearly a brother thing and I felt awkward just standing here, watching.

"No, Dean, you don't understand, all right? The more people I save, the more I can change."

"Change what?"

"My destiny, Dean!" Sam yelled, pointing at himself. Sam's eyes clouded over with emotion, and Dean reached for him.

"A'right, time for bed. Come on, Sasquatch."

Dean helped Sam stand up, and tried pulling him over to one of the beds, but Sam didn't go very far.

"Dean, I need you to watch out for me," Sam requested.

"Yeah, I always do."

"No, no, no. You have to _watch_ _out_ for me, all right? And if I ever turn into somethin' that I'm not…you have to kill me."

I heard a very audible gasp from the little girl beside me, and let's just say I needed to say congratulations to Sam on his awesome timing with this discussion. I mean, come on, he couldn't have waited, like, two extra days. And what the hell was he doing anyway. Dean had already been through this with John, he didn't need to hear it again. It's not like it ever left his thoughts anyway.

"Sam," Dean said, warning him to back off.

"Dean, Dad told you to do it. You have to."

"Yeah, well, Dad's an ass," Dean said firmly. "He never should've said anything. I mean, you don't do that. You don't - you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids."

"No, he was right to say it! Who knows what I might become? Even now, everyone around me dies!"

Dean looked like he was getting frustrated. "Well, _I'm_ not dyin', okay? And neither are you. Now, come on. Sit down."

It didn't take much to get Sam on the bed, but apparently, Sam wasn't done talking.

"No, please, Dean, you're the only one who can do it. Promise."

"Don't ask that of me," Dean replied.

"Dean, please," Sam begged. "You have to promise me."

The brother's shared a moments gaze, and then Dean responded, "I promise." It was more to shut Sam up than anything else though.

"Thanks," Sam said, relieved. He brought his hands up and clutched at Dean's face. "Thank you."

Dean pushed Sam's hands away. "Yeah. Whatever. Go to sleep."

Sam laid back and rolled over, plowing his head onto the pillow. Dean sat on the other bed and ran his hand through his hair and sighed, probably going over what exactly had just happened.

I went and sat beside him, grabbing his hand and keeping it in mine so he wouldn't worry his face and hair.

"Hey, he probably won't even remember in the morning," I said softly. "And if he does, you can tell him to go fly a kite."

Dean smiled sadly. "Yeah, you know I won't do that."

The bed dented beside me as Rebecca climbed on, and she looked a little…lost. Granted, she had good reason. Sam had been drinking and then he'd told Dean that he might have to kill him. Rebecca was probably wondering if she'd picked the right people to hide with.

And really, what was Sam thinking? If he was feeling low, he never should've started drinking. Alcohol was a depressant, not a stimulant. It was okay if you weren't by yourself, but drinking alone…it would make you think about things that were best left alone.

"I don't think I can be here right now," Dean said. "I guess I'll go and get started at the Plant. It's shut down again so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, okay." I knew he needed something to take his mind off of Sam's request. "Just do me a favor and take Jack with you?" Dean didn't seem too keen on that suggestion. "Please? At least I'll know you're not alone. In case something goes wrong."

Dean sighed, giving in. "Yeah, okay, but I probably won't be gone long."

"Well, after the Plant, see if you or Jack can track Mr. Temple down. Make sure he doesn't hurt someone else."

"Was gonna do that anyway. But thanks for the reminder." He kissed my cheek before standing up. Then he looked at Rebecca. "I'll be back shortly, kiddo."

"Hey, wait, what about the grave?" I asked. "Do you even know where it is?"

"No, actually, I don't," Dean said. "But I was thinking you could find out, and then I can call you after I get done at the Plant. You can fill me in."

"Yeah, sure." Good, that would give me something constructive to do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

About two minutes after Dean left I went to Sam's laptop. Basically, all I wanted it for was so we could watch the movie I'd bought earlier. I wanted to take Becca's mind off of what she'd just witnessed.

But a couple programs were open, and I soon realized what had driven him to drinking. A missing person's picture of Ava was the first thing I saw. It was on the FBI database; they hadn't found anything more than we had. So that was one thing that had been bothering Sam. He was blaming himself for Ava's disappearance.

I closed that window, and another picture popped up. It was of Sam and some girl. They were at a park, and they looked extremely happy.

The girl was about my height, maybe a little taller, and she had medium-length blond hair. A pretty smile. She looked like I felt whenever I was with Dean.

I was willing to bet this was Jessica. So some of my annoyance with Sam faded away, but we still needed to have a talk when he woke up...when he was sober.


	30. Little Responsibilities Pt Four

**MoonlitePrincez314: Yeah, Sammy's gonna be in a little bit of trouble (But not in this chapter) LOL. And I love Dean with kids too. That's why I just had to make one of my own with him being with one. And honestly, I wasn't sure how Alsyon would be, given she's an only child. So I just went with what felt natural. And I agree, they would make awesome parents.**

**Random Surfer: I gotta give you props for reading _The Shining. _ Anyway...I try to do as many brother/sister moments as I can, because I try to make Sam and Alyson as close as is platonically possible since (and I mean this in the nicest way possible) Sam is the closest thing she has to a girl friend. LOL.**

**Little Responsibilities  
Part Four**

"**Why does Sam wanna die?" Rebecca asked in the middle of the movie we were watching on Sam's computer.**

**It surprised me, actually, because she hadn't brought up what had happened _since_ it had happened. And really, I didn't know what to say. So I just did the best I could.**

"**Um…Sam can be overdramatic sometimes," I tried explaining. "He doesn't really wanna die, sweetie. He's just hurting right now. And when people are hurting, they do stupid things."**

"**Like asking people to kill them?" She had a little _yeah right_ expression on her face and it was adorable.**

**I smiled slightly. "Yeah, most people don't go that far, but…overdramatic."**

**Rebecca shook her head like she didn't get it, and unless I wanted to go into things that would make her even more confused, which…let's not, then she was gonna stay that way.**

"**You know what? It doesn't matter. It's nothing for you to worry about. Let's watch the movie, huh?"**

"**Yeah, okay," she said, turning back to the computer screen.**

**------------- -**

**After the awkward conversation I'd had with Rebecca, she'd seemed a _little_ appeased and she'd gone to sleep easily. The movie wasn't over, but since she was asleep I cut it off and began to get online but then a knock came from the door. It wasn't Dean - he had a key - so I didn't know if I should open the door or not.**

"**Hey, it's me, open up."**

**Jack. Jack, who was supposed to be with Dean at the moment. Crap. I placed the laptop on the table when I passed by it.**

**When I opened the door, I started by saying, "what're you doin' here? You're supposed to be with Dean."**

"**I was. I tried calling and I didn't get an answer."**

**I made a mental note to check my phone because I could've sworn I had it on.**

"**Anyway, we were at the plant. We found more remains."**

"**More kids?" I whispered, letting him in.**

"**They were," he said. He glanced from the sleeping forms of Sam and Rebecca and back to me. "There was a hidden room, or chamber - whatever you wanna call it. I think it led underground. Anyway, we found bones."**

"**So…probably more victims from Josiah?"**

"**That's what I'm betting on."**

**Things got awkward for a minute until he asked whether or not I'd gotten the grave location or not.**

"**Oh, uh, no. I was watching a movie with Rebecca. She _just_ went to sleep. I mean…I'm going to…I just don't think it's gonna help. I think what we're dealing with was there even before the Crowley Plant was built."**

"**Good assumption. I have a feeling you're right." He sat down at the table and I followed suit. "Did Sam tell you what we found?"**

**I scoffed. "Sam was a little…_inebriated_…when we got back."**

"**Oh. That's kinda irresponsible." Jack shook his head. "Anyway, it's spirit possession. I'm pretty sure it's this headmaster guy that burnt his schoolhouse down one time when they had to go to school on Saturday. It was detention or something."**

**Hm. I didn't know they even had detention back then. I thought they smacked you with a ruler and that was it. But…**

"**That makes sense, actually. Ms. Chase said that Josiah - after he started working at the plant - would go around talking about how good people go to heaven and bad ones go to hell. If he killed the kids who had detention…he probably thought he was cleansing the town or something."**

**I rolled my eyes at that and then… "Is Dean still at the plant?"**

**Jack shook his head. "We found Mr. Temple leaving, and Dean followed him. I'm supposed to go the grave and burn the remains."**

"**Right," I said. "I'll get right on that." I paused. "So did you call the cops?"**

"**About the remains? No. There's not much the cops can do, they're about sixty decades to late."**

**------------- -**

**It didn't take too long to find out about where Josiah was buried - in the back of his old home; his family had their own cemetery where most of his family was buried. After that, Jack left, again saying he was gonna go dig up the grave.**

**I did check my phone, and it had been on vibrate, in my purse, and he had tried calling. I just hadn't heard it. Or felt it…whatever.**

**After he left I started going through a file folder full of papers about other deaths and weird occurrences that happened at the plant. And then there was one article on the thing about the schoolhouse.**

**This guy - Michael Toth - had been a part-time minister, part-time headmaster. He was the one who doled out the punishment for the _wicked_ or whatever. I wondered if he'd _meant_ to kill himself in the process or not.**

**Problem, though, was that he'd been so…burnt and…it said that they buried him and they weren't even sure it was him. Identifying bodies wasn't the easiest thing back in the late 1700's. They didn't have the knowledge or the technology to be 100% certain of anything.**

**But it seemed enough for me. I mean, the rest were kids, and I was guessing that it hadn't even had to have been detention. Children used to have Saturday school all the time.**

**The article said that most of the bodies weren't even _whole_. The bodies had been burned so badly that some of them had turned to ash. Wow.**

**Anyway…I was guessing that it wasn't his remains that the spirit was attached to. There was another article about the plant itself. Around 1810 was when the Crowley family started building the plant. Apparently, some of the wood from the school house had been salvaged and used for the building of the plant. Not to mention the tobacco field that was there now was right near where the schoolhouse had been.**

**The minister-headmaster thing had thrown me at first, but back in the old days it wasn't that unusual for the church to be used as a schoolhouse during the week. So it fit, sorta.**

**I tried finding where Michael had been buried, it just said that they buried him deep in a mine, they didn't exactly say where.**

**I checked the time - 12:30 - and I wondered whether I should call Dean or not and then I decided to just text him.**

**_Hey, where are you?_**

**_I followed Temple home. Did Jack call?_**

**I wasn't that big a fan of texting long conversations, so I did end up calling.**

"**Missin' me already?" he answered, teasing.**

"**I dunno. You missing me?"**

**Dean cleared his throat, avoiding the question. "So, um, what are you doin'?"**

"**Nice attempt at being casually evasive," I quipped. "Anyway, I'm going through a bunch of stuff that Jack gave me."**

"**He was there?" he asked, sounding surprised.**

"**Yeah, he called and I didn't know, so I didn't answer. He needed to know where the grave is. Even though I've seen the information and I don't think it's Josiah."**

"**Yeah, about that…what about the brand thing?"**

"**Hm. I'm not sure about that. But we'll figure it out." I sighed and then said, "so you said something about following Temple home?"**

"**Yeah, he's drinkin' himself stupid. He won't be goin' anywhere else tonight. I'm thinking I should meet up with Jack at…wherever he's at."**

"**The old Crowley place. They have their own cemetery."**

"**Naturally. Okay, well, it's been snowing and the ground is probably frozen over, so I don't know how long I'll be gone." He paused. "Where is the Crowley place, anyway?"**

"**About a mile south of the plant."**

"**Right. See ya when I see ya."**

**That was when we hung up.**

**------------- -**

**About an hour later I was still awake, but only just. It seemed stupid even to me because Dean was capable of taking care of himself, but I felt I needed to stay awake just in case he called. Not that I could get to him anyway. They had both cars, and I didn't know how to hotwire one yet. And Sam was out for the night.**

**But anyway, I took on look at Rebecca, who was sleeping peacefully in the bed, and then I stood up to leave the room. I wanted to get a soda; the caffeine would help me stay awake, hopefully.**

**I grabbed the room key and my purse, then went out the room. I didn't grab my jacket because I was only gonna be gone for a minute, if that.**

**At the soda machine I decided on a Coke. I was sure it would have me bouncing off the walls in no time.**

**I heard the roar of a car that sounded like the Impala, and then a door slammed. I turned around and saw _Jack_ getting out of the driver's side of the car. So…something was definitely going on.**

"**Where's Dean?" I demanded softly. "He'd have to either be dead or dying to let _you_ drive his car."**

"**Don't worry about Dean, he's fine. He's at the cemetery doin' his thing. Besides…it's not _him_ you should be worrying about."**

**Okay, so I reiterate: Something was definitely wrong. My breath started coming in short breaths when I thought about what Jack was saying, and all the things that might have happened to Dean. Because as I'd said…Dean would've had to be dead or dying to let Jack use his car.**

**I began inching away from him, but he followed my movement.**

"**You did something to him…didn't you?"**

**Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, maybe. But it's nothin' compared to what I'm gonna do to you."**

**I began to moved, to run away, but he grabbed me, and before I knew it he'd bashed my head into the side of the soda machine.**

**And it was pretty much lights out for me after that.**

**------------- -**

**When I came to, I could feel that I was in a damp place and there was a musky type smell to wherever I was. My feet were on the ground and my arms were above my head. So I was basically standing, it's just that my hands were tied up above my head.**

"**Jack?" I whispered out, looking around. Suddenly a light turned on…one of those ones that you found in mines.**

**And the chill that had been emanating from Mr. Temple came back full-force. Only this time it was coming from Jack.**

"**You're not Jack anymore. Are you?" I asked.**

"**Nope."**

"**You're Michael."**

**Jack smiled scathingly. "Howdy there, Princess."**

"**But Mr. Temple…"**

"**I can body-hop, darlin'. Spirit possession isn't the easiest thing in the world. Ya see, demons, they can possess anyone. But spirits are mostly bound to people they can relate to. It's easier to take them over when they know how you feel."**

"**What're you talkin' about?" I asked, pulling on my arms, trying to get free.**

"**Josiah. He loved his wife and kid but he resented the fact that Susan took up most of his wife's time. Until he made her his, anyway. Temple? Same thing, only that Aaron kid? He was destined for hell to start with."**

"**He was just a kid," I commented.**

"**Doesn't matter," he taunted. "He was still disobedient."**

**I shook my head in wonder. I tugged at my arms and found that whatever he'd used to tie me up with wasn't that tight. So…best to keep him talking while I tried to get free.**

"**You said they all had reasons. What's Jack's?"**

"**Funny you should ask, doll. Because he kinda resents you too."**

**I paused from trying to get free. "_He_ resents _me_?"**

"**Sure," he said as if it were nothing. "You're the reason he is what he is. _He_ would never say it, of course. But me? I have no problem."**

"**He didn't have to leave," I said firmly. "No one asked him to. He made that decision on his own."**

"**True enough. Still doesn't change the fact that he wanted normal and he got you instead."**

"**Yeah, well, he's the one who couldn't keep it in his pants," I replied, frustrated by the fact that this speech was getting to me. I wondered if anything this spirit was saying was true.**

**It shouldn't have mattered. For the most part of the past eight years I'd thought of him as only a sperm donor. He'd been absent for a lot of my life, and now something was telling me that he hated the fact that he had to hunt, and that it was my fault he was doing it in the first place.**

**Well, screw that…and screw him.**

**I gave a final tug at the ropes and they gave way, surprising me…and Jack - or Michael, anyway.**

**As soon as he was close enough to me I punched him right where I'd done so before - where he still had a bruise. Jack reeled back a little but caught himself. Then he hit me in the face with so much force that it spun me around.**

**I saw stars for about five seconds before I straightened up and turned back to him.**

**I hit him again, then kicked him in the stomach, making him lean over. I tried to punch him, but he grabbed my arm and backhanded me with his free arm. He then punched me twice more.**

**I felt my nose bleeding, and my teeth cut into the inside of my cheek.**

**He swung again, but I had enough strength to block him, and I shoved him back. I kicked him hard in the groin, but he immediately bounced back and punched me again. I guess the spirit inside him kept him from feeling much pain.**

**I hit him even harder - thankfully I knew self-defense, even though he was physically stronger than me and I was getting tired. But…my body was healing as soon as his blows handed so that was good.**

**I kicked at Jack's knee and he stumbled. But he got up, grinning. This truly frightened me.**

**Jack hit me again, this time on the side of my head, and I went down momentarily. I landed on something wooden, and I reached for it. It was a…something. It looked like it had once belonged to a shovel or maybe even a pick-ax. But only the wood remained.**

**Whatever. It didn't matter. I grabbed it as I stood up and swung it as hard as I could at Jack's head. It broke off and he went down. _Finally_.**

**After a few seconds of debating whether I should leave him here or not, I went toward him. I kept telling myself it was fine, that he was unconscious. Not to mention the chills were slowly receding. So Michael wasn't here right now, though he'd probably be back. He seemed to really have it in for me. Which was kinda weird since I wasn't a kid.**

**Anyway, I checked Jack over. He had a pocketknife - the one he'd made me move with my mind - and I transferred it to my own pocket. He had a gun, too. I took that with me also. I realized I was leaving him defenseless, but it was me who needed defending at the moment.**

**Jack's head was bleeding, but his pulse was strong. He had a stream of black gunk coming out of his eye, and I assumed it was ectoplasm. That's what it looked like anyway.**

"**I'll be back," I said. "When I'm sure you're not gonna try to kill me again."**

**I stood up, dizzy, and looked around. It looked like we were in a mine. So now the fun part would be finding my way out.**

**------------- -**

**About ten minutes later I found the way to get back up to the actual plant part of the…plant. It was weird because it was kind of like an attic door, the kind you have to pull down and the stairs come down with it.**

**So I went up, and the first thing I noticed was that there were heaps of tobacco just laying in piles. This must have been the storage area, where they kept the stuff before packing it and sending it out.**

**There was only one door in this room, and it led to another set of stairs. So the storage area must have been a basement type thing, and as I went up I saw a serious problem. This room was huge and there were vertical bars on all the windows. They must have been able to open them during the day because there were padlocks on them.**

**This room had an old generator thing that was run by gasoline.**

**The feeling came back - the chills - and then I was thrown against the wall. It was cement - or something equally as hard.**

"**Well, you're quite the fighter. I underestimated you."**

**And then I was falling to the floor. The floor was cement too, and my hands got scraped as I hit.**

**I was a little dazed and my head felt like it was spinning up in the clouds somewhere. I tried to shake it off and get back up , and it worked…sorta. I got back to my feet, anyway.**

**I saw Michael - the spirit, since he wasn't possessing anyone. He was in the whole minister costume and everything. Wow, it was kind of…creepy. He was one of the creepiest spirits I'd ever seen. He was right up there with H. H. Holmes.**

"**Alyson,, don't let it touch you!" I suddenly heard.**

**Jack was here now, his head still spilling blood from where I'd hit him.**

"**Aw, look. Jack's back in the game."**

**The spirit, though, hadn't taken its eyes off of me, and he lunged toward me. I dropped and rolled out of its way, landing near Jack. I was praying I was doing the right thing.**

**I stood up, facing the spirit, but said to Jack, "find something made of iron. Fast!" Because something told me I wasn't gonna find salt in a tobacco plant.**

**Michael, it seemed, had no interest whatsoever in Jack. His sights were set on me. Jack had just been a way to get to me.**

**Now that I was standing, I looked around. There was equipment - probably for packing the tobacco into whatever they packed it into - but what bothered me most was the shelf of gasoline that was stacked against the wall near the generator.**

"**You didn't bring Becca here, did you?" I asked Jack harshly.**

"**No. You had salt lines around the door and windows, remember?"**

"**Right. And Dean?"**

**I risked a glance in Jack's direction and realized he was using his jacket as a carrying thing. He had it tied up at the sleeves and it was closed up so I couldn't see what it was. But whatever. No time for lengthy discussions.**

"**Dean's fine. Dean isn't the one Michael wanted. You are."**

**Suddenly a gas can flung its way at me and I ducked to avoid being hit. Bad thing was that it crashed onto the floor and the top broke off, making the very flammable liquid spill out onto the floor.**

"**Let's go," Jack requested. "It's too dangerous to stay here."**

**About two seconds later, I found out why. And oh…wow. This spirit could control fire. He could throw it with his hands. I guess that's why Jack had said not to let it touch me.**

**And yeah…fire and gasoline. Not the safest combination.**

"**Move!" I snapped, and shoved Jack in front of me. "We need to go. You're right."**

**Michael made the gas on the floor go up in flames, and I stared at it for a moment, transfixed. And then I snapped out of it.**

"**We've gotta go!" I grabbed onto Jack's arm. "Get us outta here."**

**Jack led the way through the maze of equipment, and by the time we got to the door we had to crouch low just to breath.**

**Jack tried to open the door…but it was jammed - or maybe supernaturally stuck, I don't know.**

"**Great," I said sarcastically. "Please tell me you know another way."**

"**You can do it," he said like he really believed it.**

**I shook my head. "No, I can't. We've been through this before."**

**I took in a deep breath - big mistake. I felt like I was gonna cough up a lung.**

"**Try anyway," Jack said defiantly. "Do you have a better idea?"**

**No, I didn't. So I concentrated on the door. I visualized the energy in me opening the door. This bluish white light was creeping towards the exit. This was all in my head, of course, but even as I pictured the light bursting through the door, I could hear the real door opening just as roughly.**

"**You did it!" Jack exclaimed. "Come on."**

**I opened my eyes, surprised, and I noticed that the door had pretty much turned into splinters. Wow.**

**We went out into the freezing cold - it was sleeting again - and we started running. We needed to get away from the plant before it exploded. Because that's definitely what was gonna happen once the fire reached the gas cans. Luckily we had the cement on our side because the cement by itself wasn't exactly the most flammable thing.**

"**Where's the car," I shouted.**

**I noticed, now that we were outside, that the plant was surrounded by woods and a tobacco field…and a lake. And near the point where the lake met the field was a form of something. I could tell it was a body and it was on the ground, not moving.**

**Instinctively, I moved towards it and the closer I got, the more certain I became that it was Dean.**

**When I reached him I could see that he wasn't even conscious. He had a weak pulse and his breath was shallow.**

**I glared up at Jack. "You call this fine?" I took note of the blue tint to Dean's lips and fingertips, and the paleness of the rest of his skin. "He's got hypothermia because of you, you son of a bitch."**

**I took in the lake and then Dean's discolored face, and my dream from a few nights before popped into my head. I wondered if there was a connection between that and what was happening now.**

**I sincerely hoped not.**

"**Go get the car," I said. "Now." I coughed again and then said, "Hurry. If the place explodes Dean and I will be thrown into the water."**

**As soon as Jack started walking away I went through everything I knew about hypothermia…which wasn't much.**

**I knew your body temperature dropped below normal temperature. Shivering could occur, coordination becomes an issue, thinking becomes an issue, breathing becomes quick and shallow, your hands and feet can become numb.**

**I also know that a bunch of movement could cause someone with hypothermia to go into cardiac arrest.**

**I brought my hand up to cup his cheek, and I seriously had to keep myself from crying. My breaths were becoming shallow too, but mine was for a totally different reason.**

**If we didn't hurry, Dean would freeze to death. And I felt like panicking and screaming, but me freaking out would not save Dean's life.**

"**Dean, hang on, baby."**

**I heard the car coming closer, and it parked sideways so it would be easier to get Dean in.**

**That was actually pretty tricky, getting him into the backseat. I had to get in first and help Jack scoot him in. I was constantly snapping at Jack, telling him to be more careful and to not move Dean so much.**

**To Jack's credit, he didn't say anything about it, he just tried to do whatever I said.**

"**There are blankets in the trunk," I said, after I got Dean situated. "Give me all of them."**

**------------- -**

**By the time we got back to the motel, I had just about bitten a hole in my lip from sinking my teeth into it so many times. It kept healing, though, which was probably a good thing.**

**Dean was still freezing and unconscious, but his breathing was slightly more even, which calmed me down a little.**

**Jack switched rooms with us so I could take care of Dean, and again this was tricky to do since we weren't supposed to move him much.**

**Dean was heavy because muscle weighs more than fat, and he was kinda wet. He'd been laying in the sleet and snow.**

**When we finally got him to the bed, which was unmade, we hoisted Dean onto it.**

"**Help me get his clothes off," I commanded, reaching for Dean's shoelaces. I untied them and yanked his shoes off along with his socks.**

"**What was that stuff in your jacket that you were carrying?" I was only asking to take my mind off of what I was doing.**

"**Michael Toth's bones. They were down in that tunnel."**

"**Oh."**

**I went to unzip Dean's jeans, and I noticed that my hands were shaking and I tried to calm myself down. I bit the inside of my cheek and made myself focus on helping, not crying.**

**I got his pants undone and told Jack to help me pull them off.**

"**Don't you dare tell him you did this when he wakes up." Dean would die of embarrassment.**

**I finally got his pants off with Jack's help, and I got Jack's knife out of my pocket, snapping it open and cutting through Dean's shirt down the middle.**

"**Help me lift him," I requested.**

**Jack lifted first Dean's left shoulder than his right. I shrugged him out of his jacket and shirt and then Dean made a little groan that sounded like he was in pain so I checked him over.**

**He was still unconscious, but apparently he could feel the pain anyway. Which was actually a good thing because if he was alive enough to feel pain, then he was alive enough to get better. He had bruises all along the right side where his ribs were, and his left shoulder was bruised as well.**

"**What the hell did you do to him?" I whispered harshly.**

"**I, uh…I think his shoulder's dislocated, and his ribs are bruised."**

**I gritted my teeth together to keep from yelling at him. This wasn't entirely his fault. The spirit had been controlling him. I didn't understand spirit possession, because when the spirit had been controlling someone I could only feel him _sometimes_.**

"**Okay, um, you and I need to talk, but now isn't the time. I need you to go to the store - a 24-hour one - and get me some of those warm compress things. The ones that you smoosh and make them warm."**

"**Yeah, I know what you're talking about."**

"**Good. Go."**

**And he did.**

**------------- -**

**After Jack left I turned the heater up to about ninety. It would be stifling soon, but so be it.**

**Now that Jack was gone, I removed Dean's boxer-briefs, and then began removing my own clothes. I was planning on transferring body heat.**

**This was a bad thing, though, because Dean was still unconscious and there was nothing more I could do for him.**

**I crawled into the bed and covered us both with the blankets on the bed. I tucked them underneath us and then I tangled myself around him, and I covered his hands with mine to get them warm.**

**I kinda felt bad for leaving his shoulder and ribs the way they were, but there wasn't anything I could do while he was unconscious. Plus, getting him warm was the most important thing.**

**------------- -**

**I held myself together long enough to receive the compresses from Jack. I placed one behind Dean's neck, one on his chest, and one near his groin.**

**Jack said he was gonna take the car again and go find somewhere to burn the bones of Michael Toth and he wouldn't be back to the room again tonight. He'd probably go straight to bed after he was done doing whatever.**

**I hadn't really paid attention to the whole conversation. I was more focused on the unconscious form of Dean that I was trying my best to warm up.**

**With nothing else to occupy my mind, I finally let the tears spill over that I'd been holding back up until now.**

* * *

Uh-oh, sorry about the Dean injuries. Sorta. LOL. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think.


	31. Talking it Out Pt One

**Random Surfer: Jack Daniels...I laughed when I thought up that name. Seriously, when I first began thinking of a male name to go with Daniels...Jack was the first name I thought of. Is that bad? LOL. And yes, you can call Alyson Ali if you want to. And I definitely had to bring up _something_ to move Jack's storyline ahead to where I wanted it. Um...I'm not good with handlying kids either. I mean...kids are okay, but I definitely like being able to give them back at the end of the day. LOL The only reason I made Alyson good with them is because she's patient and compassionate, and she hates when people are treated unfairly. And thanks for the long reviews...those kind seriously make my day sometimes.**

**Talking it Out  
Part One**

**It took two hours to get Dean comfortably warm, and then I got up, getting dressed again. I made my way to Sam's room and banged on the door. I didn't have the key anymore, so I couldn't get in by myself.**

**I realized that I was probably disturbing everyone else around and that it was late…or early, depending on how you looked at it. It was, like, four in the morning. But they would just have to get over it.**

**When no one answered, I said, "Sam! Open up!"**

**It took about thirty more seconds and then Sam opened the door, bleary-eyed and stumbling.**

"**What'd you do? Lock yourself out?" His speech was still slurred, so apparently he hadn't slept it off yet.**

"**I need your help," I said, grabbing his arm, yanking him out of the room. "Now."**

"**What's goin' on, Alyson?" He closed the door and fumbled along behind me.**

"**It's a long story, but something happened and now Dean has a dislocated shoulder and bruised ribs. I don't know how to…fix his shoulder."**

**We were at the room now and after being outside in the cold it was like a furnace in the room.**

"**Wow, it's hot as hell in here," Sam said, waving his hand in front of his face like a fan. "What happened?"**

**I took a deep breath and then began the story.**

"**Jack was possessed. Since you were passed out, Jack went with Dean." Which was sorta my fault since I'd asked Dean to take Jack along. "And sometime between then and a couple hours ago, Jack was taken over."**

"**Jack did this?" Sam sounded indignant. "But why? I mean, this particular spirit seemed to take over certain people. Ya know, one's with little kids, so why target Jack?"**

**I scoffed. "Apparently, he has _issues_ with me. That's why Jack was picked." I sighed. "Dean had, hypothermia, he was unconscious when I found him."**

"**Found?"**

"**Jack took me to the plant. Or underneath it, really, and…I don't know what he was gonna do, but I got away. Obviously. Dean must've been on his way to the plant because I found him right outside."**

**I looked over at Dean, who was still unconscious. "Should we try and wake him? I mean, it's gonna hurt no matter what, but it's gonna be a rude awakening, popping his shoulder back into place."**

"**Yeah, um, if I tell you how to do it, do you think you can?"**

"**Why?"**

"**We should just go ahead and do it and I'm gonna have to hold him down if he wakes up. You said his ribs were bruised, right? If he moves he's gonna hurt himself worse."**

"**Well, yeah, I guess I can."**

**Sam stepped closer to the bed, and I saw something like guilt pass over his face. Guilt and maybe shame. Then he was touching Dean's bruised shoulder tenderly, probably trying to figure out _how_ Dean had dislocated his shoulder.**

"**So he was pretty bad when you found him, huh?" Sam asked quietly.**

"**Honestly? I think if I hadn't found him when I did, he wouldn't be here."**

"**Wow." Guilt flashed across his features again. "I guess I messed up, huh? I should've been there."**

"**Sam…" I started. "Not that I don't appreciate the fact that you feel bad, but now's not the time for a guilt trip. You can feel bad later. After we take care of Dean."**

"**Yeah, okay," he said, but then was silent. And really, I got what he was saying, but chances were that if Sam had gone with Dean, then Jack would've hurt both of them, and I would've had to take care of both my guys. And I'm not saying I wouldn't, because I totally would, but taking care of one guy was hard enough, but taking care of two…**

"**Dude, are you guys gonna fix my shoulder or just think about it until it heals itself?" Dean's voice sounded through the room. "Which it won't."**

**And until that moment I hadn't known exactly how worried I'd been. How worried that no matter what I did, he wouldn't wake up. And it may sound cheesy or corny, but his voice, right then, in that moment, had been the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.**

"**Why's it so hot in here?" Dean asked. "And why am I all beat to hell?" He paused, and then a look of even more confusion came over his face. "Why am I naked? Oh God, you molested me, didn't you? And I can't even remember it."**

**And I couldn't help it: I laughed…so hard that I cried. After all the anxiety I'd been feeling it felt good to laugh again.**

"**Dean," Sam began, but Dean cut him off.**

"**Shut up. Fix my shoulder and we'll call it even."**

**Sam smiled slightly, but then stopped abruptly. "Yeah, uh, try not to move."**

"**Yeah, yeah. Hurry up."**

**Well, now that Dean was awake to keep himself from moving, I didn't have to do the popping-his-shoulder-back-into-place thing, which was good because I intensely didn't want to.**

**He had me worried again though, because as he grunted from the pain of his shoulder being put back into place he started coughing…badly, which probably didn't feel to good on his ribs.**

**After a few choice expletives from Dean, he settled back down on the bed and said, "okay, so what happened, exactly? And where is Jack now? This is his fault, don't you think he should at least be here to try and make things right?"**

"**Uh, he's burning bones, I think."**

**And I had to retell the story again. I got to the part about the fire and I could tell Sam and Dean didn't like it one bit. I told them about the bars on the windows and how the door wouldn't open.**

"**How'd you get out?" Dean asked.**

**I grimaced a little. "I turned the door into toothpicks."**

"**Come again?"**

"**Well, that visualization thing I did that time with the mirror…well, it worked this time, too. But I think it's because I was scared. Anyway…I splintered the door apart."**

"**Well, you're alive," Dean said, relieved, and maybe slightly freaked. "That's what matters." And then he went into another coughing fit.**

**Sam and I looked worriedly at each other.**

"**I think I'm gonna go get him some cough medicine, and then later we need to find some pain killers," Sam said.**

**I thought about it for a minute. Pain killers from the drugstore wouldn't be strong enough. "Dispensary at the hospital?"**

"**Exactly."**

"**Okay." And then… "Small problem. We don't have a car."**

**Dean stopped himself from coughing. "Why don't we have a car?"**

"**Um. Jack's using yours," I said sheepishly. "He showed up in it when he kidnapped me, and I don't know where his is. Anyway, I had to take care of you, and Sam was still passed out, so Jack was my only option."**

"**Son of a bitch. I seriously owe him an ass-kicking when I get better. I mean, the guy leaves me to die, takes my car, kidnaps my girlfriend, tries to kill her-" And he started hacking again.**

"**Dean, just don't talk," Sam requested. "You need to rest."**

"**My ribs feel like they're diggin' into something."**

"**That would be your muscles. They're probably inflamed," I explained sympathetically. "It's gonna hurt for a while."**

"**That's terrific," Dean said sarcastically.**

**After about a minute of uncomfortable silence I spoke up, "I'm gonna go check on Becca. I'll be back in a minute."**

"**Yeah, I'll come with you," Sam said.**

**We went out of the room and started walking back to the other room.**

"**Ya know, I had this whole speech thought out about the whole asking-Dean-to-kill-you thing." I sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. "But now all I can think about it how close we came to losing him."**

**We made it to the door and it was locked, of course.**

"**Did you grab a key, by chance?" I asked.**

**Sam grinned a little. "You dragged me outta the room. How was I supposed to grab a key."**

**I knocked on the door and called out, "Becca?"**

**Becca didn't answer, Jack did. We moved into the room.**

"**How'd you get in here?" Sam asked suspiciously.**

**Jack dug some keys out of his jeans pocket and shook them at us. "You dropped them earlier when, uh-"**

"**You kidnapped me?" I asked, blurting it out.**

"**Yeah, that," he replied.**

**It was probable. I had been out getting a soda when he'd come back for me, and I'd had the keys.**

"**Oh, and Dean's fine, by the way. Just so you know," Sam snarked. "Thanks for asking."**

**Sam seemed to be feeling the way I was: antagonistic toward Jack. I mean, okay…technically I knew that Jack wasn't the one who was responsible for everything that had happened. But still, his body was the one that had been used.**

"**It's not my fault," Jack said quietly, "but I'm glad he's okay. I never meant for any of that to happen."**

**Jack rubbed the back of his had over his brow, and tried to suppress a yawn. "Was there something you wanted?"**

"**Becca," I supplied. "I was checking on her."**

**For the first time, I took in Jack's appearance. His face looked almost as bad as Rebecca's mom's had. I didn't even wanna see his stomach - I'd kicked him there a couple times.**

**I shook my head and then focused on Becca instead. She _was_ the reason I was here, after all. I didn't know how, but she was still asleep. Seriously, even after I'd banged on the door earlier…She slept like the dead.**

**I checked her breathing just in case. She was fine, just sleeping peacefully and deep.**

"**Where're the car keys?" Sam asked suddenly. "I need to go to the store, get some cough medicine."**

"**The keys are on the TV set, but you don't need to go anywhere. It's done."**

**The keys _were_ on the TV set along with some red Robitussin. I went and picked it up. The plastic was still on the top, which meant it hadn't been opened. The label said it was for cough, cold, and the flu, and it was for nighttime. It worked as a pain reliever, fever reducer, antihistamine, cough suppressant, and a nasal decongestant.**

"**Thank you," I replied gratefully. "Really."**

**He shrugged. "Figured he might need it."**

**Sam, Jack, and I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do.**

"**So, uh, I'm gonna get this to Dean," Sam said, taking the medicine from my hands and turning to go to the door. "Just holler if you need anything."**

**He forgot the car keys.**

**------------- -**

"**How bad are you hurt?" I asked Jack. There was hardly any feeling in my voice at all.**

"**Not too bad. Couple scrapes and bruises. But I've had worse." He turned to go towards the bathroom. "I was cleaning up before you showed up."**

"**Hm." I followed him and saw he had a first-aid kit on the counter. "Sit down," I commanded softly, and reached for one of the motel washcloths.**

**Jack did as I said and sat on the toilet. After I wet the cloth I cleaned his face. The blood that was there had come from the head wound.**

"**I hope you know I'm not usually this violent. You just were…"**

"**Trying to kill you?" he asked.**

"**Well, there is that."**

**I found, as I was getting the blood off his skin, that the wound itself wasn't that bad. Head wounds just naturally bleed a lot.**

"**So," I breathed. "Is there somethin' you wanna tell me?"**

**Jack's eyebrows quirked. "No, not really."**

**I pursed my lips, considering just leaving him to clean up his own mess, but instead I talked. "Really? Well, I can think of a bunch of things I'd like for you to talk about."**

"**Name one."**

"**Is _anything_ that spirit said true? Do you resent me?"**

**Jack looked down at the ground. "It twisted what I feel about you, but yes, there is some truth to it."**

"**Then why'd you come find me? To train me? Turn me into your lapdog?"**

"**I told you that was your choice," he said, looking back up.**

"**Yeah, right. Only a couple days ago you forced me to use my abilities. So I want you to tell me the truth."**

**Jack stood up. "What do you want me to say? That I'm unhappy with my life? That I hate doing what I do? That sometimes when I'm really low I blame you for it? For everything. Having to give up my family, having to leave - pretend I was dead. Did you want to know that I'm so weak that I blame my own daughter for my unhappiness, my own failures?"**

**My breath sorta caught in my throat, and tears filled my eyes. I turned away from him. And, honestly? I didn't know how to feel about this. I mean, I'd asked for the truth and I received it…I just didn't know if I liked what I was hearing.**

"**Do you wanna know why I searched for you? I know about your powers, that's true. And I can help you - _if_ you'll let me. But that's not why I went through so much trouble to find you." He grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him. "I wanted to find you because you're my daughter. You're a part of me. The only thing that I have left…that's…"**

**He trailed off and dropped his hand from my shoulder.**

"**I wanted to see what kind of young lady you'd become. I wanted you to be able to know me."**

**I looked beseechingly into his eyes, praying his was telling the truth. He seemed sincere enough, but that didn't mean anything. He could just be a good actor.**

"**And then when I found you, I saw an independent woman, someone I could be proud of. You…gave me a chance to prove myself, so I did everything you asked. I didn't want you to make me go away. Even though I hadn't seen you in a long time, you're still my little girl."**

"**Dad," I whispered, realizing that it was the first time I'd called him that since he'd been back. "If you hate hunting so much…why do you do it?"**

**Jack scoffed. "Because someone has to. I mean, not a lot of people know about the things that go bump in the night. But I do. And I know how to stop them. I wouldn't be much of a person if I didn't help the people who needed it, right?"**

**And that, right there? That was such a Dean thing to say that he had me smiling slightly, tentatively, at him.**

"**You know, you don't have to do everything I say. It's not like I'm your boss or something."**

"**Thanks for the permission then," he teased and then sobered pretty quickly. "So, are we good?"**

**I sighed, wondering if we were.**

"**For now," I said truthfully. "But…I've been totally upfront with you about everything. I've never held back with you. So next time you have a problem with me or something I'm doing, you need to let me know. Okay? I mean, you can't build a relationship on lies. It'll come crashing down around you every time."**

**------------- -**

**By the time I was done fixing up Jack's wounds it was beginning to get light outside, and for the first time I felt comfortable just being in the same room with him. Maybe it was because he'd been completely honest with me earlier.**

"**Okay, so…bring Becca to the room when she wakes up. 'Kay? I mean, I'd take her with me now, but I think I'd end up waking her."**

"**Yeah, I'll bring her. Don't worry. And get some sleep."**

"**Will do, after Dean's taken care of."**

**Jack sorta grinned and grimaced at the same time. "You really love him, don't you? I mean, at first I thought maybe you were only with him because you are together all the time. But that's not it, is it?"**

"**No," I replied firmly. "I mean, sure, I kinda latched onto him from the get-go, but that's not it. He was there when I need him most, and I'm there when he needs me. It sorta promotes togetherness."**

"**Right…it's just…and I've said this before, but isn't he kinda old for you?"**

"**That doesn't matter. It doesn't change who he is. It doesn't change the fact that he's the one I wanna be with. And I'm not some idiot school girl with a crush," I reminded him gently. "I have more respect for myself than to let someone toy with my emotions. Dean's a really good man, you just haven't known him for very long."**

**That was that, and I left to go back to the other room.**

**------------- -**

**As I walked into the room - it was no longer stifling - I could tell I'd interrupted an important conversation, and Sam was in the middle of talking.**

"**It doesn't change what we talked about last night, Dean."**

**I rolled my eyes, because really, couldn't Sam have waited until Dean was feeling better?**

"**We talked about a lot of things last night," Dean evaded.**

"**You know what I mean," Sam said.**

"**Sam," I started, closing the door. "You're not evil, and you can't become evil without allowing yourself to. So leave Dean alone, and stop whining."**

**Sam looked over at me like he'd just realized I was there. "He promised," he said, sounding like a petulant child.**

**I looked at Dean, who was staring at Sam and looking like he really wanted to something. But he didn't.**

"**So…did you take your medicine?" I changed the subject.**

"**Yeah, it's disgusting," Dean replied. "And it made me tired."**

"**So sleep," I suggested. "It's the best thing for you." But I'd had no need to say that; he was already slipping into sleep.**

**As soon as I was sure that Dean was in a deep enough rest, I walked over to Sam and smacked him on the back of the head - hangover be damned.**

"**Ow! What was that for?" He grabbed at his head.**

"**You _know_ what that was for." I glared at him meaningfully. "How could you ask him to do that? Don't you think hearing it from John was bad enough? Now he has to hear it from you, too?"**

"**Dad was right when he told Dean if he couldn't save me he'd have to kill me. He obviously knew something we don't."**

"**Dean would do almost anything for you, but don't you think asking him to kill you is taking advantage of that? I mean, Dean gave up his childhood to raise you. He's more of a father to you than John ever was. He builds his life around you to make you happy and to keep you safe."**

"**I know that," he said fiercely.**

"**Yeah, but you don't appreciate it as much as you should." I sighed, feeling my frustration fade now that I'd said my piece. "You know, I was thinkin' of giving you a get-out-of-jail-free pass since you were drunk when you asked the first time…but you had to continue to push, didn't you?"**

**Sam shrugged, looking properly chastised, but then he said, "you just don't get it. Everything about my abilities is shrouded in mystery. I don't know where they come from. All I know is that the yellow-eyed demon was involved somehow, and that Dad obviously thought I could turn evil."**

"**You think I don't understand that your abilities scare the hell out of you? Sam, why do you think I don't wanna use mine? I mean, mine may be good, but they could still change me into something I'm not…_if_ I let them."**

**I sat down on the bed lightly so as not to jostle Dean, and then I sighed. "Can I tell you something? I kinda wanted to keep this memory to myself, but I think you need to hear it."**

"**What?" he asked curiously.**

"**After my mom died, before I started going through her things…I saw her - talked to her. I remember because at the time, I blamed myself for her death."**

"**What did you talk about?"**

"**She told me it wasn't my fault. She tried to comfort me. At the time, I thought I was goin' crazy, that I'd finally snapped."**

**Sam smiled slightly.**

"**I wanted to know what I was supposed to do, where I was supposed to go from there. And you know what she said? That it was for me to decide. That a lot of things were gonna happen to me, and the most important thing was for me not to lose myself."**

"**Not to lose yourself? That sounds cryptic."**

**I grinned a little. "That's what I thought when she said it. But I think I know what it means now." I took a deep breath. "It's not your abilities that define you, it's the choices you make, what you do with them. Take your visions, for example. You don't know where they come from, but you use them to save people. That's how you saved _me_."**

**Sam nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess. It's just I feel like I have no control over this. I mean, I have no idea _why_ I have these abilities or how I got them, just that they're rooted in darkness."**

"**And that's why they scare you," I concluded for him. "I get that…I think. But, Sam, and I swear if I have to repeat this one more time I'm gonna go crazy…you're not evil. I mean, you're not even a little bad," I said honestly. "You're a good person. You have your faults, sure, but everyone does." I smiled slightly. "Last time I checked, having faults doesn't warrant a death sentence. Besides, everybody has good and bad in them, but it's what you act on that counts."**

**I stood up again, and then said, "I didn't mean to get all speechy on you, but you have to know I'm telling the truth."**

**Sam nodded uncertainly, and he stood up too. "We should go get that medicine. The hospital pharmacy will be opening soon, which means people will be going to the dispensary more often. I suggest we do this before that happens."**

**I bit my lip lightly. "Do you think you can do that by yourself? I mean, Dean's out like a light, and Jack's supposed to bring Rebecca over when she wakes up, and if Dean's asleep, I don't want her to be here by herself."**

"**Oh," Sam said. "Yeah, okay."**

"**Are you sober enough to drive?" I teased…sorta. I was half-way serious. But he wasn't slurring his speech so, that had to be a good sign.**

"**Yeah." He grinned. "I think hat blow to the back of my head sobered me up pretty quickly."**

**I grinned in return. "Sorry." Not really.**

**------------- -**

**About twenty minutes later, Dean woke up, coughing again, and saying he had to pee. I tried helping him up, but he said he could do it himself.**

**I raised my hands in defeat, backing up. "If you say so."**

**It took him two minutes of stubbornness to ask for help, and I was right there. We took it really slow because any sudden movement made pain shoot through Dean's ribs. After we got him standing he was okay to move on his own, so I let him go.**

**I grabbed a pair of his boxers on the way to the bathroom, and after he was done doing his business I helped him put them on. It was kinda awkward because he kept saying that he wasn't a kid and he should be able to dress himself.**

"**I could've waited until Sam came back and he could've done this," I taunted gently. It was an empty threat; I never would've done that. But it made him stop complaining.**

**------------- -**

**By the time Sam got back with the medicine - it was a pain reliever and a muscle relaxant - Rebecca was with us.**

**It was sad, but the little girl had a serious grasp of the pain Dean was in. She didn't jostle him when she got on the bed. She didn't try to hug him. I mean, sure, I'd told her what was wrong with him, but she'd done the rest on her own.**

**Anyway, the pain medicine pretty much knocked Dean out, or maybe he'd just been tired from everything and now that he had something to stop the pain, he could rest.**

"**Is Dean gonna be okay?" Becca asked, genuinely concerned.**

"**Yeah," I said. "He's just got an ouchie. But he'll be better in no time."**

**We were both seated on the bed, and I was trying my hardest to stay awake…and then Sam was hovering over me and pulling something out of his back pocket. Well, several something's, actually, but they were all the same thing.**

**There were three thin circular packages, all of when contained birth control pills. The sight of them made me wanna laugh. After everything that had happened, the last thing on my mind was sex with Dean.**

"**Thank you," I said, because he'd obviously remembered the conversation we'd had about _safe sex_.**

"**Uh-huh," he replied, somewhat uncomfortably. "Don't say I never did anything for you."**

"**Wouldn't dream of it."**


	32. Talking it Out Pt Two

**Random Surfer: Hey thanks for reviewing again. LOL...Seriously you had me laughing the whole time while I was reading. I'm glad you liked the reaction Sam had to Dean being hurt. And the whole scene with Alyron...I kinda thought she should be the one to say what she did, because Dean at that point wouldn't. (Do you know how hard it is to go from watching the new episodes and then go back to the mindset of the characters in the second season?) And about your question...at first, I think it was more a reaction to not being able to trust him. Jack basically has been gone for eight years and now he just pops up one day out of the blue. And the guys just went by what Alyson wanted since Jack his her dad, but when he started causing problems they just stopped liking him off of principle alone. Also, Dean probably has this underlying fear of Alyson choosing Jack over him. Oh, and the scene between Alyson and Jack...that's the one that took the longest to write because I wanted it to feel real. And it's true. I mean, now that she knows him she is gonna want his love...and possibly even his approval as long as it doesn't involve giving Dean up. It sucks about the surgery (not being about to move however you want and all that). I laughed while writing the molestation line because Dean would so say that. Anyway, thanks again for the review. Keep them coming. :)**

**Kari10: Yes, actually, I do plan on doing Season 3 even though I'm like I really don't want Dean to die. LOL. But I can't make him not die because I love the story arc in 4 and 5 seems like it's looking good too. I have a lot of work cut out for me. LOL. Good thing I love the show. Glad you reviewed. Thanks.**

**Talking it Out  
Part Two**

**It had been a day since we'd gotten Dean's medicine for him, so the pain went away at least for a little while. His cold, however, was still the same. Dean kept telling me he was okay, and that he didn't get sick very often, but when he did it was bad.**

**Sam had reluctantly shared the room with Jack at first, but then he'd kept coming over to check on Dean, so I'd told him that if he went and asked the motel manager for an extra cot then I would sleep on it and Sam could have the extra room on the bed. He agreed.**

**Becca was still with us; her mom would be in the hospital for another couple of days. We'd taken her to see Mrs. Temple and the police had been there.**

**Apparently, they'd gone to his house to question him, and they'd found him dead. He'd killed himself. I assumed that with Michael Toth's bones destroyed, the control left but the memories remained…or appeared. Whichever.**

**I kind of felt bad for him. It hadn't been entirely his fault when he'd killed those kids. But chances were he would've either wound up in jail or in the nuthouse if he hadn't died. That still didn't make it okay.**

**And I was assuming the way Michael Toth's spirit possessed someone was if you went down into the mine thing and you fit the criteria he'd talked about Jack having. Or a lot more people would've been possessed.**

**After we'd visited Mrs. Temple - she was distraught - we went to the store. It was just me and Rebecca, and we were picking something out for Dean for his birthday. We wouldn't be able to actually go anywhere like I'd been planning because he could barely move by himself. Not to mention we had Rebecca to watch out for.**

**Anyway, we were thinking of heading to Bobby's after Becca's mom got out of the hospital. We were gonna rest up there, Dean especially. I mean, sure, Sam was on a hunting kick, but he didn't want Dean to be hurting anymore than he had to.**

**------------- -**

**It took a while to find a good gift for Dean. I wanted to get him something he could actually use rather than something that was just nice to look at. Dean would appreciate the fact that he could use it or enjoy it for a while.**

**We went through three stores before I found a couple things I thought Dean would like. One wasn't even a gift, per se; it was a Led Zepplin shirt. I had ruined his shirt he'd had on when he had hypothermia, so the shirt was just a replacement thing.**

**The place where I got his actual gifts was at a vintage music store. The kind that still had tapes and records, things like that.**

**I had to go through a mental checklist of the cassettes that Dean already had so that I wouldn't get them. I ended up with five new tapes. _Bad Company_, _Journey_, _Kansas_, _Ratt_, and _Rush_.**

**The music would probably get on Sam's last nerve, but I was okay with that.**

**------------- -**

**Two days later, Dean was well enough to be up moving around, so we decided to leave - Mrs. Temple had gotten out of the hospital the day before.**

**After a rather painful good-bye with Rebecca, Dean had felt the need to go to a bar on the way to Bobby's. We were just outside of South Dakota, and it was around nine o'clock at night. Sam and Dean were hustling pool because they wanted cash money, and they wouldn't accept it from me. Or Dean wouldn't, anyway. He said he didn't mind me paying sometimes, but he wanted to do it too. A 50/50 relationship.**

**Anyway, Dean had tried to teach me to play pool too, but it wasn't my thing. My aim really sucked, although it could have just been the fact that I was only aware of him standing behind me to help me line up my shot.**

**So, having failed at that, I just sat it out at a table and watched them do things they probably shouldn't have been.**

**Jack was with us still, but only for the next couple days. I'd told him he should meet Bobby because if Jack ever showed up there without us having introduced him, Bobby might chase him off his property with a shotgun.**

**Anyway, there was a band playing tonight. They weren't that bad, and they were doing old songs from different bands. It was country and rock mixed…ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughn, things like that.**

"**Why do you come to places like this?" Jack asked from beside me. "It's obvious that you feel uncomfortable."**

**I shrugged. "'Cause leaving me alone at the motel makes _Dean_ feel uncomfortable. He rests easier knowing that me and Sam are safe, so if I stick close to him…problem solved."**

**Jack nodded, getting that. "So…should we set up a meeting schedule or something? Because I would like to see you again soon."**

"**I dunno," I said honestly. "I was thinkin' I could call you when I wanna see you or if I need you, and you could do the same."**

"**Yeah. That works," he said.**

**------------- -**

**We got to Bobby's at around nine-ish the next morning. It was funny, but Bobby did just about every test he could think of to test Jack's humanity. Silver, holy water, salt…the whole nine yards.**

**After that, we told him the story about how Jack had found us at the Roadhouse and about Gordon Walker thinking Sam was the Anti-Christ, so other hunters probably thought that too.**

"**Have you guys eaten yet?" Bobby asked. "I mean, I don't have much in the way of food, but I can fix sandwiches."**

"**That sounds good," Dean said.**

"'**Kay. Alyson, come help." His tone left no room for argument.**

**I got up without a word of complaint even though I was half thinking Bobby had picked me because I was a girl.**

**There was a loaf of bread on the counter. There were eggs, bacon, and cheese in the refrigerator. I opened the vegetable drawer at the bottom; there was lettuce and tomatoes. BLT's it was, with maybe eggs on the side.**

**Dean would probably eat two sandwiches, Sam, Bobby and Jack probably would only eat one each, and I wanted just an egg sandwich with bacon on the side**

"**You fix the bacon, I'll toast the bread and make the coffee," Bobby said.**

**Cooking sucked; I hated it. I fixed the bacon first, it popping all over me. After I had enough bacon grease, I started fixing the eggs sunny-side up. I added the salt and pepper as Bobby popped two pieces of bread into the toaster.**

"**So, Jack's yer dad, huh?" Bobby said as a conversation opener. "Are you okay with that?"**

"**It's not really my choice, ya know," I joked. "But for now, yeah." I looked at him seriously. "But don't worry, he can't replace you." That earned me a small smile**

"**So…you plan on stickin' around?" Bobby handed me a plate and I put two eggs on it.**

"**What'd you mean?" I asked.**

"**Now that he's found you, are you gonna go with him?"**

"**No," I said. "I'm happy where I am."**

"**Well, good. 'Cause Dean has enough abandonment issues from John and Sam without you addin' more."**

"**I'm not gonna leave Dean," I said softly. "Believe me, I know how much it hurt him when John and Sam would leave him behind. I wouldn't do that to him."**

"**Good," Bobby said again, grinning a little. "Now, fix those sandwiches."**

**------------- -**

"**I'm volunteering you for dinner duty," Dean said as he polished off his eggs. "This is really good."**

**I shook my head but beamed anyway. "What do you want?" Yes, I hated cooking and I found it boring, but I was good at it. And Dean seemed to want me to.**

"**It's up to me?" Dean asked.**

**I shrugged. "Call it a belated birthday dinner."**

"**Can you fix steak? Or chicken?"**

"**I can do either," I said. "We'll have to go to the store, though." I looked at the other three in the room. "Anything you guys want?"**

"**Salad," Sam said automatically. Seriously, he was almost a vegetarian.**

"**You're cookin'," Bobby replied. "You decide."**

"**Same here," Jack said, grinning.**

"**A'right. Well, steak, potatoes, corn, and croissants. How does that sound?"**

"**Great," Dean replied. "And don't forget the pie."**

**I smiled again. "Yeah, that would be tragic," I said sarcastically, but then added fondly, "we'll get you a pie."**

**------------- -**

**Dean was the one who went to the grocery store with me. It was…kinda domestic. A couple shopping for food to make for dinner. It was nice and normal.**

**We picked up five T-bone steaks, potatoes, and a few cans of corn, and those Pillsbury croissants. And of course, an apple pie.**

**We got a few other random things only because we wanted to stock up at Bobby's place since we were gonna be there. Dean was feeling better, that's true, but he could easily hurt himself again if we were to hunt anytime soon.**

**And I swear, Dean was just like a child. He wanted more junk food than anything else. Chocolate, candy, chips. I felt like the mother here, watching fondly as Dean loaded the shopping cart with sweets, while I made sure to balance things out with vegetables and fruits.**

**By the time we'd gotten done with shopping, we had seven bags full of stuff and we loaded them into the car.**

**When Dean started the car, I looked his way. He hadn't been acting any different than normal and he didn't seen like he was trying to hide anything. But Bobby's question had been on my mind since he'd brought it up.**

"**Dean, you know I'm staying with you…right?" I pretty much blurted that out - there was no subtle way to put it.**

"**What?" He pulled out of the parking spot. "I never said you weren't."**

"**No, but Bobby said somethin' to me earlier about whether I was stickin' around or not. And…" I trailed off.**

"**And?"**

"**I'm definitely stickin' around," I said firmly. "Jack may be my father, but you and Sam are where my home is. I don't wanna be anywhere else."**

**------------- -**

**Back at Bobby's everyone was sitting around doing…absolutely nothing productive…not really, anyway. Things were abnormally silent. Dean had put the Bad Company tape I'd bought him in a tape player of Bobby's, and that was the only sound in the room.**

**Sam was on his computer, Bobby was cleaning one of his guns, Dean was reading a newspaper - maybe skimming is a better word - and Jack and I were looking through some of Bobby's books that were stacked throughout the room. Apparently, I got my love of books from him. We'd both gravitated toward them.**

**Jack was reading something about occult philosophy, and I was reading about amulets, talismans, and gemstones. It was fairly interesting, but I didn't know if it was true.**

**Suddenly Bad Company's _Feel Like Makin' Love_ came on and the book was forgotten…almost. I was still reading it, but my mind was singing along with the words and my foot started tapping along to the beat.**

**About twenty seconds later a pink Starburst was thrown onto my lap. I looked up and saw that Dean was eating one too, only his was orange.**

**I popped mine in my mouth, and the fruity goodness washed over my taste buds. Pink Starburst was my favorite.**

**Every time the words 'feel like makin' love to you' came from the speakers on the tape player I could feel Dean's gaze on me, and one time I looked up at him. He so wasn't interested in the newspaper anymore. And to tell you the truth…the book I'd been reading wasn't that good anymore either.**

"**Oh, please," I heard Bobby say. "Get a room."**

**I blushed and reburied my face in the book.**

**------------- -**

**At around 4:30 I began to prepare dinner. The steaks had been marinating since we'd gotten back to Bobby's, so all I had to do was get them out of the fridge to start frying them. Dean had actually cut up the potatoes for me, and they were now boiling. The corn wouldn't take too long so I'd do those last, along with the croissant rolls.**

**The salad Sam wanted was pretty much done and was in the fridge. Nothing fancy, just lettuce, tomatoes, - the cherry ones - cucumbers, green peppers, and spinach leaves. He and whoever else wanted one could add the cheese and dressing and whatever else they wanted on their own.**

**As I tended to one of the steaks, Dean, who was seated at the table, pulled out his phone and took a picture. I shook my head.**

"**What are you doing?"**

"**Capturing the moment," Dean said, half-joking, "'cause it'll probably never happen again."**

**I shrugged. Maybe he was right.**

**Dean stood up and came towards me. I didn't move away, but I didn't step toward him either. His hands ended up on my hips, and he pulled me to him. His lips found mine pretty quickly, and our tongues tangled together briefly. It was over way to quickly for my liking, but then he traveled to my neck and I didn't mind it anymore.**

"**I'm glad you're staying," he whispered, nibbling at my jaw line.**

"**Yeah, I'm getting that." I searched for his mouth again and brought my hands up to cup the back of his head, scratching gently through his hair with my fingers.**

**After about a minute of plundering each others mouths I gently pushed him away.**

"**We're in Bobby's kitchen," I reminded him. "And I have to cook dinner."**

"**Well, what if I'm hungry for somethin' other than food?"**

**I closed my eyes, feeling heat flood my face at what he was implying. We could not do anything of that sort here. This was Bobby's house, not a motel. Although…Bobby had been the one to tell us to get a room, so maybe…**

**I shook my head, coming back to the present situation. "No. Besides, you're hurt."**

"**I feel fine," Dean remarked.**

"**No, you feel horny," I teased. "I'm not risking you hurting yourself further just so you can…feel pleasure."**

"**Killjoy," he said somewhat good-naturedly. There may have been a little disappointment there, but he was a guy so that was to be expected. He'd get over it.**

**------------- -**

**Dinner went smoothly. It was the most normal thing we'd done in a while, having supper with my family at an actual house and not in a diner. Jack rivaled Dean with how much he ate, which surprised me because compared to Sam and Dean, Jack was tiny. Although…compared to Sam and Dean, a lot of people were tiny.**

**Anyway, I still thought cooking was boring, but seeing everyone enjoying it was a plus. Besides, Dean hadn't had a home cooked meal in…well, I wasn't sure if he'd had one since his mom had died, so watching him eat it was nice. It's what he had wanted, anyway.**

**------------- -**

**Two days later Jack was gone, Bobby was on a hunt - a ghost, I think - and he'd said he didn't need any help, so Sam, Dean, and I were still at Bobby's, only minus two people.**

**Ever since the kitchen incident Dean had been on his best behavior. No looking at me with bedroom eyes, no heated kisses that held the promise of so much more, no lingering touches that made the blood boil beneath my skin. It made me wonder whether he was doing it on purpose or not, trying to make me come to him.**

**If that was the case then he would probably win. I craved his attention and affection too much to stay away for long. Dean craved affection too, though. He just wasn't good at admitting it.**

**Good thing I could usually read him like a book.**

**Anyway, Sam had an appointment at the local orthopedics office to see if he could get his cast removed. I didn't see why he wouldn't be able to. He'd had the cast on for about three months. He'd gotten the cast on in October and it was now the end of January.**

**I was doing the laundry - or folding it anyway, because it was already done - because I was sure we would be leaving soon. I was in the room Dean and I were sharing, putting our stuff in our bags, and laying Sam's stuff on the bed so I'd remember to give them to him later.**

"**Well, aren't you the little housewife?" Dean's voice came from the doorway. He had a beer bottle in his hand and he was leaning against the doorframe.**

"**If that's what you wanna call it, sure," I responded. "Is something wrong?" I eyed the beer in his hand.**

"**Nope. Just felt like havin' a drink."**

"**Oh. Good." I sighed and stopped folding. "Dean. We need to talk."**

"**Uh-oh. This can't be good," Dean joked.**

"**No, it is," I hurried to reassure him. "I guess. Depending on how you look at it."**

**I sat down on the bed, and Dean came to join me.**

"**I've already talked to Sam about it, and he said I needed to talk to _you_ about it…so, here goes." I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I'm on birth-control pills."**

**Dean blinked a few times like that hadn't been what he'd been expecting at all. "Oh. How long has this been going on?"**

"**Uh, since Sam got your pain medication. He got my pills then too."**

"**Uh-huh, and Sam told you to tell me that?" Dean seemed to think that that was highly amusing.**

"**Well…no, not that, exactly, but it was a sort of lead-in to what I really wanted to say, which is…I've been thinking about being with you for a while now. But…I don't know whether something will happen or not."**

"**I'm fairly certain _something_ is supposed to happen," Dean said, grinning.**

"**You know what I mean," I replied, mock-glaring at him. "If I lost control, I could hurt you, and that's the last thing I want. I mean, I don't really know if I'm ready, exactly, but it feels right when I think about it."**

"**And you talked to Sam about this?" He was still amused.**

"**Actually…he's the one that brought it up. He wanted to make sure we were being safe. And you can imagine how awkward _that_ conversation was."**

**Dean huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I bet."**

"**Yeah, well, he said I should tell you so that it wouldn't be runnin' through my head when we were actually…ya know."**

"**That makes sense," Dean said.**

"**Yeah, it does, which is why I told you. At first, I didn't want to because I didn't want to say I was ready and then change my mind."**

"**Hm. And what did Sam say about all this?"**

"**That I think too much," I blurted out. "And that I shouldn't because it takes the fire out of it. But I think I have a right to think about this. I mean, I could end up throwing you across the room. And what if I heal. Do you know how much it would suck to have to go through losing your virginity every time you have sex? It would be bad, and it would probably make you swear off sex forever."**

"**Oh, wow. You do think too much. Those thoughts have never even crossed my mind."**

"**That's 'cause you're not me, and I over-think everything until I'm blue in the face. Or red, anyway. But it's been bothering me for a while now and it's gonna keep bothering me until I actually find out the answers for myself. And no, that wasn't an invitation to try right now."**

**I was babbling/ranting, because now that I was talking about it with Dean, I was finding it hard to shut up. Everything just began flowing out.**

"**And the first time we actually go for it, I'd rather you not use a condom - unless you think you should. It's just it'll seem more intimate to me without it. Which is why I think we shouldn't do anything for at least a month to make sure the pills I'm on are working."**

**Dean was getting a kick out of my speech, he just seemed to find the whole thing funny. And it wasn't the fact I was nervous - he knew me so he probably know I'd be nervous until we actually got it over with. It was the fact I was telling him about it. And if I didn't think we _had_ to talk about this I definitely wouldn't have even brought it up. But Dean was taking this a lot better than I thought he would. I thought it would make him so uncomfortable I'd have to tie him down to make him listen.**

"**I don't think you'll be thinking about that when we…go for it, as you said. Or anything else, for that matter. If you are, then I'm doin' somethin' wrong."**

**I grinned at that. That was true enough, I guess. Every other time we'd done anything…_pleasurable_…I'd found it almost completely impossible to form coherent thoughts. My mind had been stuck on repeat with just the word _Dean_ playing over and over.**

**------------- -**

**When Sam got back, he was going on about something that had happened in Wisconsin. Apparently, some woman had robbed a jewelry store and then she'd killed herself afterwards.**

**The first thing Sam did when he got back was get on the computer. He said he'd heard people at the orthopedics office talking about how weird it was.**

"**Well, this is our kind of thing, right?" I asked. "Otherwise, why would somebody rob a place and kill themselves? What is that, like, a screw you to the security system?"**

"**Yeah, you get past it and then blow your brains out?" Dean added.**

"**So when are we going?" I asked, thinking about Dean's ribs again. They were better, sure, but he could re-injure than easily.**

"**Well…if we leave now we can get there by tonight, and we can start tomorrow morning."**

"**Good thing you washed the clothes, huh?" Dean joked.**

"**Yeah. I'm gonna go call Bobby and tell him we won't be here when he gets back."**

**Bobby ended up telling me to tell Dean to not hurt himself again, and to not get caught out in the cold.**

* * *

So...anyway, this one was pretty much a lead-up to the next chapter. Not really a lot of action, per se, but I had to do this chapter to get to where I wanted to be in the plot for the next chapter.


	33. Nightshifter Pt One

**Random Surfer: I love the rants, too. LOL. I just put whatever I think she's been thinking about in them. I think (that's a lot of thinks) that I'd probably be ranting every day if the show was real and I had their jobs. Or I'd be in the loony bin. One or the other.**

**Nightshifter  
Part One**

**Milwaukee, Wisconsin was where we were, and it was morning now. Sam had woken us up saying that the thing that had happened at the jewelry store had happened again, only this time it had happened at a bank. I guess whatever or whoever did this had broadened its horizons.**

**Some teller from the bank had beat this guy, Ronald Resnick, up, stole some money, and then killed himself.**

"**Okay, so I think we should hit the jewelry store first," Dean said. "And then go to that guy's house."**

"**Yeah, you guys can go talk to the people from the store," Sam said. "I'm gonna see what I can find out about this Ronald guy."**

"**Yeah, okay," Dean said. "When does the store open?"**

"**Um, hold on, I'll check," Sam answered.**

**He was on the computer, so I was assuming he was going to check the store's website.**

"**Eleven o'clock," Sam said. "So maybe get there a little early?"**

"**Yeah," I agreed. I was still lying down. It was only 9:30-ish and I didn't feel like getting up just yet.**

"**So, what do we know about this woman?" Dean asked, referring to the chick that had robbed the jewelry store.**

"**Not a lot," Sam answered. He sounded disappointed. "Her name was Helena Davies. She lived alone, she was the head buyer at the store. So there didn't seem to be any reason for her to do this."**

"**And she's dead," I added.**

"**Right. And she killed someone when she broke into the store."**

"**Who?" Dean asked.**

"**Uh, the night watchman."**

"**A'right, well, you keep lookin'. I'm gonna take a shower." Dean got out of bed, got his things together, and went in the bathroom.**

"**So…best guess as of right now…what do you think this thing is?" I asked.**

"**I don't know. Mind control? Possession? Hell, could be the water's contaminated."**

**I laughed at that last one. I'd heard of contaminated water doing a bunch of things, but never making someone rob a place and then kill themselves.**

"**I found something else," Sam said. "Not exactly newsworthy, but the cops haven't found any of the things she stole."**

**I sat up on that one. "It wasn't with her where she died?"**

"**I guess not, because everything's still missing."**

"**How _did_ she die, anyway?"**

"**She electrocuted herself in the bathtub," Sam said with something close to shock in his voice.**

"**Oh, wow, that's a bad way to die."**

**Sam huffed out a laugh, but there was no amusement in it. "Yeah, understatement."**

**We sat there in companionable silence, the water from the bathroom the only noise aside from Sam clicking on the keyboard.**

**It occurred to me then just how weird my life had gotten. Before I'd met Sam and Dean, and before I'd lost my mother I hadn't watched the news very often, and I'd only read the newspaper when I'd had to do current event reports for history. If I had come across this Helena woman back then I probably would have just thought she was another crazy person in this crazy world.**

"**Our lives are strange," I said softly.**

**Sam laughed out loud at that. "Yeah. Are you just figuring that out?"**

"**No. It's just…I never would've thought twice about something like this before. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would've cared that someone had died because…I'm not a sociopath, but I just would've let it go. People are so jaded these days. When you hear about something bad that's happened - someone being murdered or abused - you might feel a second of remorse, right, but most people…they've seen so much that it doesn't really bother them anymore."**

**Sam moved away from his computer. "Wow. That was really deep. What's the matter with you?"**

"**I was just thinkin'. That's all."**

"**Yeah, I can tell. But, uh…I think you're wrong. I think it's more that they can't _let_ it bother them rather than it doesn't. There are a lot of bad things in this world, and if you let everything get to you, you'd be miserable."**

**I smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess. And you should know, huh, Mr. Pity-Party?"**

**Sam rolled his eyes. "Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"**

"**No, probably not," I said easily.**

**------------- -**

**Around 10:45, Dean and I got to the jewelry store. We were in our official business-looking clothes. We were both pretending to be FBI even though I was nervous because, at best I looked twenty, and I'd never seen a twenty-year-old FBI agent.**

**It had taken a while to look even that old, but after the right amount of make-up, and putting my hair in a tight bun, I looked okay.**

**When we got to the entrance of the store we knocked - the store wasn't open yet but there were people inside - and a young woman in a white short-sleeved button-down shirt and black pants came to the door. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and her make-up was well done. She looked about twenty-five.**

**She unlocked the door and cracked it open. "We're not open yet," she said politely.**

"**Yes, uh, but we're with the FBI," Dean said. "We were wondering if we could talk to you about what happened with Helena Davies."**

**She looked us up and down, probably trying to decide whether she wanted to talk to us or not. Her eyes stayed on Dean for far too long, but she let us in without even asking to see our badges.**

"**I'm Frannie. I'll help in any way I can." And that had definitely been a come on to Dean, not that I blamed the chick. I mean, he's very good-looking.**

**Dean gave his best charming smile, and we followed Frannie further into the store. Most of the jewelry here was flashy, like, _come rob me, I'm rich_ flashy. But a lot of people went for that kind of thing, just not me.**

**Frannie took us towards this guy, and I could tell that he worked here just by his attire. He was almost as tall as Sam, which…wow. I didn't know anyone who was as tall as Sam, but…off topic.**

**The guy was wearing an expensive suit, and if you've ever been into a jewelry store you know what the employees wear, so just imagine that.**

"**This is Kyle," Frannie said, introducing us. "Kyle, these people are with the FBI. They're here to talk about Helena."**

"**We already told everything we know to the police," Kyle said.**

"**Yeah, but it's a Federal case now," I said. "And we have a few follow up questions. Is that okay?"**

**Kyle nodded, though he looked like he really didn't want to talk about it. I wondered whether it was because he'd known Helena, or because he was sick of answering questions about her.**

**Frannie began to walk to the other side of the store, and I motioned for Dean to follow her. She'd probably cooperate more for him anyway.**

"**So, Kyle…how well did you know Ms. Davies?" I began.**

**Kyle looked down at the display case he was standing behind. "She…she was family, ya know? She said it herself. Every year at the Christmas party, she said we were the only family she had."**

**So his reluctance to talk about this was because he'd cared for her. That was good to know.**

"**Do you know, why she would do something like this? Any history of violence or mental illness?"**

**He looked up at me.**

"**No. I still can't believe it, even now. That night, Helena came back to the store after closing, cleaned out all the display cases, and the safe. Edgar, our night watchman - he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do. He'd known her for years." Kyle averted my gaze. "He called me at home. I heard him die through the phone."**

"**Wow. That must have been terrible," I said sincerely. "I'm sorry."**

"**She shot him in the face - with his own gun." He paused and then shook his head incredulously. "I mean, this makes no sense. Why steal all those diamonds, all that jewelry, and then what? Just dump it somewhere? Just hide it and then go home and -" he broke off.**

"**Kill yourself?" I finished for him, and he nodded. "Trust me, that's what we're tryin' to find out."**

**I looked over towards Dean, who seemed to be working his charm, and something caught my eye near the top right-hand corner of the store.**

**A security camera.**

"**Hey, you wouldn't happen to have access to the tapes from that night, would you?" I asked, turning back to Kyle. "'Cause that would help a lot."**

"**No, uh, the police - they took all the tapes, first thing."**

"**Right." I sighed. "A'right, well, I think that covers everything. But if I think of anything else, I'll be in touch."**

**------------- -**

**After talking to Kyle and getting his information, I went out to wait in the car for Dean to get done. I called Sam on my cell phone and waited for him to answer.**

"**Yeah?"**

**I laughed quietly. "I love how you and Dean answer your phones."**

"**I'm sorry. We'll try again." He paused. "Hello?"**

"**Better," I complimented. "Anyway, we got nothin'."**

"**Not surprising. I got next to nothin'."**

"**This isn't lookin' good. What _do_ you have?"**

"**Ronald Resnick's address."**

"**That's a start." I paused as Dean got in the car, and then I put my cell on speakerphone. "And what about the bank?" I asked Sam.**

"**Uh, Milwaukee National Trust - it was hit about a month ago."**

"**And they're just telling about it now?"**

"**Well, banks don't want people to know they got robbed," Sam said. "They probably only told about it in the newspaper because it happened at the jewelry store."**

"**Same M.O.?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. Inside job, long-time employee, the never-in-a-million-years type. Dude robs the bank and then goes home and supposedly commits suicide."**

"**And this Ronald Resnick guy?" I prompted.**

"**He was the security guard on duty. He was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place."**

"**Oh. Wow. He did better than the night watchman here. He got shot in the face."**

**I heard Sam sigh. "So, I heard ya'll got nothin'."**

"**Yeah, pretty much," Dean agreed. "Although, Frannie was very helpful in giving me her number."**

**He waved a little piece of paper in the air which I quickly snatched out of his hand. Dean grinned at my oh-so-subtle show of possessiveness.**

"**Yeah, well, they had security cameras, but the police have the tapes, so…" I trailed off.**

"**Friggin' cops," Dean muttered.**

"**They're just doin' their job, Dean," Sam said.**

"**No, they're doin' _our_ job, only they don't know it, so they suck at it."**

"**Yeah, well, whatever," Sam said. "Bring back food, I'm hungry." And then he hung up.**

"**He didn't say please. We should let him starve," I joked.**

"**You're evil," Dean said. "Remind me to not piss you off."**

"**Don't piss me off."**

**------------- -**

**When we got back to the motel room - with food - we went through everything we'd found…again. I was reading through some article thing Sam had found on the bank robbery. I was using his computer, and kinda missing mine. I wasn't the most materialistic person on the face of the earth, I didn't put a lot of stock in object possessions, but if you're used to having something you kinda miss it when it's gone.**

**Anyway, like Sam had said, the teller Juan Morales, beat Ronald Resnick, the security guard, unconscious, and then robbed the bank. Juan was now dead; suicide.**

"**I read the police report, and according to that, Ronald didn't think it was Juan who robbed the bank," Sam said. "He said that it was Juan, but it _wasn't_ Juan."**

"**Oh, great," Dean quipped. "What does that mean?"**

"**If we knew the answer to that question, we wouldn't have to go talk to him," Sam snarked.**

"**Bitch," Dean said.**

"**Jerk," came Sam's patented response.**

**------------- -**

**It was a little late by the time we got to Ronald Resnick's, and it was turning dark.**

**Sam had done _something_ to his computer that would let me hear what he, Dean, and Ronald Resnick were talking about. Either Sam or Dean would have a mini-microphone, and it was the equivalent of them being wired.**

**They were both in their FBI getups, while I, on the other hand, was wearing my everyday clothes. I was gonna wait in the car while they talked to Ronald.**

**Sam and Dean got out of the car and went up toward the door to Ronald's house. It was two stories. The foundation looked like brick, and the rest was blue.**

**The two guys went up to the front steps and I watched and heard as Sam knocked on the door.**

"**Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?"**

**Suddenly a very bright porch light came on.**

"**Son of a…" Dean began, but stopped.**

**I assumed that Mr. Resnick had come to the door because Sam said, "FBI, Mr. Resnick."**

"**Let me see the badge," Ronald said. He sounded older than twenty, but younger than forty. There was a pause while I assumed that the guys were doing as Ronald had requested and then… "I already gave my statement to the police."**

"**Yeah, listen, Ronald," Dean began. "Um, there's just some things about your statement that we wanted to get some clarification on."**

"**You read it?" Ronald sounded surprised.**

"**Sure did."**

"**Come to listen to what I've gotta say?"**

"**Well, that's why we're here."**

**There was another pause and then Ronald said, "come on in."**

**I watched as Sam and Dean went into the house and the visual was complete for now.**

"**None of the cops ever called me back," Ronald began. "Not after I told them what was really goin' on. They all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? _That_ I guarantee. See, me and Juan were friends, he used to come back to the bank on my night shifts and we'd play cards."**

"**So, _you_ let him into the bank that night? After hours?" Sam asked.**

"**The thing I let into the bank…wasn't Juan," Ronald said, and at least he wasn't being defensive. "I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't _his_ face. Uh, every detail was perfect, but _too_ perfect, ya know, like if a doll-maker made it. Like I was talking to a big Juan-doll."**

**It sounded like the ravings of a lunatic, which meant that he was probably right.**

"**A Juan-doll?" Sam asked skeptically and I had to laugh because I was feeling just as doubtful. I mean…a Juan-doll?**

"**Look, this wasn't the only time this happened, okay?" Ronald said, sounding desperate. "There was this jewelry store, too, and the cops and you guys - I mean, you just won't see it. Both crimes were pulled by the same thing."**

**Probable, since it had used the same M.O.**

"**And what's that, Mr. Resnick?" Sam asked casually.**

"**Chinese have been working on it for years," Ronald said. "And the Russians before that. Part-man, Part-machine. Like the Terminator, but the kind that can change itself, make itself look like other people."**

"**Like the one from _T2_," Dean spoke up.**

"**Exactly," Ronald exclaimed. "See, it's not just a robot. It's more of a - a mandroid."**

"**A mandroid?" Sam still seemed skeptical.**

"**And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?" Dean asked, throwing the guy a bone.**

**There was a pause and then Ronald said, "I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them, they'd be buried. Here."**

**I heard some kind of clutter that I assumed was the tape.**

"**Watch," Ronald said, excited. "Watch him. Look! Th-there it is!"**

**It was annoying that I couldn't see what he was talking about.**

"**Ya see, he's got the laser eyes. The cops said it was some kind of…reflected light, some kind of camera flare. _Ain't_ no damn camera flare. They say I'm a post-trauma case. So what? Bank goes and fires me? It don't matter! The mandroid is still out there. The law won't hunt this thing down…I'll do it myself. You see, this - this thing, it kills the real person, makes it look like a suicide. Then it sort of morphs into that person, cases the job for a while till it knows the take is fat, and then it finds its opening. Now, these robberies - they're grouped together, so I figure that the mandroid is holed up somewhere in the middle. Underground, maybe. I don't know. M-maybe that's where it recharges its, uh…mandroid batteries."**

"**Okay," I heard Sam say. "I want you to listen very carefully. 'Cause I'm about to tell you the God's honest truth…about all this. There's no such things as mandroids. There's nothin' evil or inhuman goin' on out there. It's just people. Nothin' else, you understand?"**

"**But…the laser eyes."**

"**It's a camera flare, Mr. Resnick," Sam said, and for the first time since I'd met Sam, I could actually picture him as a lawyer. "See, I know you don't wanna believe this, but your friend, Juan, robbed the bank, and that's it."**

**After a short bout of uncomfortable silence, Ronald shouted, "get out of my house. Now!"**

"**Sure," Sam replied. "First thing's first. I'm gonna have to remand those tapes."**

**------------- -**

"**Man, that has got to be the kicker, straight up," Dean said. He and Sam had just gotten back into the car. "I mean, you tell that poor son of a bitch that - what did you say? Remand those tapes that he copied? That's messed up."**

"**What, are you pissed at me or somethin'?" Sam asked, handing me the tapes over the backseat.**

"**No, I just think it's a little creepy how good of a Fed you are. I mean, come on, we could've at least thrown the guy a bone, he did some pretty good legwork here."**

**Sam scoffed. "Mandroid?"**

"**Except for the mandroid part." Dean started the car. "I liked him. He's not that different from you and me. People think we're crazy."**

"**Yeah, except he's not a hunter, Dean. He's just a guy who stumbled onto somethin' real. If he were to go up against this thing, he'd get torn apart. Better to stay in the dark and stay alive."**

**Dean shrugged, pulling the Impala out into the road. "Yeah, I guess."**

"**_What_ exactly would tear him apart?" I asked.**

"**Shapeshifter," Sam said, and then looked at Dean. "Just like back in St. Louis. Same retinal reaction to video."**

"**The eyes flare at the camera," Dean added. "I hate those freakin' things."**

"**You think I don't?" Sam asked.**

"**Yeah, but one didn't turn into you and frame you for murder." Dean looked at me for a split second before turning back to the road. "I don't know if you'll be able to sense a shifter. They're not exactly non-human. They're more a mutated human."**

"**Well, I guess we'll find out, huh?" I said.**

**------------- -**

**When we got back to the motel, Dean got a beer and sat down at the table to outline a city grid of where the robberies had taken place.**

**Sam took the tapes from me and put one in, and sat in front of the TV.**

"**Look, if this shifter's anything like the one we killed in Missouri -"**

"**Then Ronald's right," Dean interrupted. "A'right, they like to layer up underground, preferably the sewer. Now, all the robberies have been connected so far, right?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**To the, uh, sewer main layout." He checked whatever he was doing. "There's one more bank lined up on the same sewer main."**

"**What?" I asked. "Or…which, I guess I should say."**

"**City Bank of Milwaukee," he answered.**

"**One question," I said, raising my hand a little. "How do we kill it?"**

"**Silver bullet to the heart," Sam said.**

"**It's a bank," I reminded him. "We can' t take a gun in."**

"**Well, then, how are you with a knife?"**

**I smiled sheepishly. "I know you stick the pointy end in the other person."**

"**Okay, well, we're gonna check the sewers first, and then we can show you a few things, just make sure you get the heart if you have to go up against this thing."**

**------------- -**

**The sewers were kind of disgusting, which was to be expected because it was a sewer. It was dark and dank and…smelly. But in a weird way.**

"**So, are we looking for _it_ or its lair?" I asked quietly.**

**I was between Sam and Dean. Since I'd never come across one of these things before, they didn't want me getting hurt by underestimating it. We all three had gun with silver bullets out and at the ready.**

"**Well, it'd be good if we could find it because then we could kill it now. It would make our jobs easier," Dean said. "But I doubt we will. Our jobs are never easy."**

**About two minutes later, we stumbled onto this place that I assumed was the thing's home. There was a little battery-operated TV on a milk crate. There were clothes strung about…and something that could have been the grossest thing I'd ever seen. It was a pile of…nastiness is what it was. It was slimy and slick and the stuff was in strands.**

"**Okay, now, what the hell is that?" I asked, disgusted. "It looks like somebody's skin melted off. Or got cut off."**

**Dean looked knowingly at me, which meant I had been right, or close to it, anyway.**

"**Oh, no friggin' way," I said. "You mean, that's the skin from…"**

"**Yeah," Sam said. "When the shifter has to turn into someone new, it sheds its old skin. Kinda like a snake."**

"**Ew." I looked around the room - if you could call it that. "Why does this thing live in the sewers. It robbed a bank. It should get a real place. It's not like it's in need of money."**

**The three of us began searching the place. I found nothing except more clothes. Sam found a wad of money with a Milwaukee National Trust band around it.**

"**So this is definitely our guy, huh?" I said.**

"**Oh, I'd say so," Dean said.**

**Both Sam and I looked over at him. Dean was holding a map of the city - the kind that showed the building and tourist attractions and all that good stuff - and there was a circle around one of the places.**

"**The bank?" I asked.**

"**Yep," Dean answered, "which means we know where it's gonna be just not when."**

**------------- -**

**When we got back to the motel the first thing we did was figure out what we were going to do about the shifter.**

"**We'll we're gonna have to go into the bank, that's for sure," Sam said.**

"**Wow. You have such a grasp for the obvious," I quipped.**

"**Bite me," he retorted.**

"**Okay, guys. Grow up," Dean said lightly. "And I can't believe I just said that." And then after shaking his head, Dean said, "What we need is to get into where the security monitors are."**

"**So act like there's a glitch, and you're there to fix them," I suggested. "Or a routine check. Something like that."**

**Sam and Dean looked like they were considering that in their heads, so I continued on.**

"**I mean, come on, it's perfect. You can check the screens, and I'll be in the actual bank part of the bank, and -"**

"**Wait, what?" Dean interrupted. "You'll be what?"**

"**In the actual bank part of the bank," I repeated. "So you guys can call me and tell me who the shapeshifter is, if it's there, and I can keep watch, make sure it doesn't get away."**

**Sam looked impressed. "You've gotta admit, Dean, it makes sense. I mean, we can watch the monitors and _she_ can watch the shifter."**

"**Yeah, but who'll be watching her?" Dean asked.**

"**That's insulting," I joked…sorta. "_Her_ is me, and I'm not gonna do anything stupid to get myself killed. Besides, if all three of us went into the security room, it would look suspicious. Usually business people travel in twos. Not to mention, if we found the shifter on the monitor, it could change by the time we get to look for him. So one of us being in the bank part of the bank would make more sense than none of us being in there."**

**I paused from my tirade and took a deep breath.**

"**And we probably won't have to kill it there, anyway. Or interact with it at all. The shapeshifter didn't try to rob the other two places until after they had closed for the night."**

**That being said, we had out plan all set up to make this case a piece of cake, as long as nothing went wrong.**

* * *

As always...let me know what you guys think. Thanks. :)


	34. Nightshifter Pt Two

**Unbalanced Writer: Hey, thanks for reviewing. And did you say you read the whole thing in one day? WOW!!! And to answer your question...yes, I am gonna do the third and fouth seasons. To be honest, I had totally planned on stopping at the end of season three. I was gonna find a way for them to kill Lilith, but I love season four too much to not write it. (Season five is looking good, too.) Oh, and I love your pen name. LOL.**

**Random Surfer: Thanks for noticing that Aly didn't get jealous; I didn't think she would let it get in the way of her doing her job either. And believe it or not, even though I did create her, I sometimes have to stop and ask myself if she seems to be in character. Oh, and the whole brother/sister thing with Sam/Aly...I'm finding it easier and easier to put those in. They're easier to do because those two are strictly platonic. LOL, about the keeping things to yourself and the internet's lack of inflection. I'm glad that you find it hard to be against anything (really against), that means I'm doing my job right. But, honestly, I don't take offence easily, and if there's ever anything that seems totally out there in left field somewhere it won't bother me if you tell me. I can't get better without constructive criticism, right? LOL. Thanks againd for reviewing when I update. Oh, and I intend to keep writing, definitely.**

**MoonlitePrincez314: Hey, you're reviewing again. YAY! :) And yes, I plan on doing 'Heart'. I like that episode, as well, even though I'm like "Poor Sammy" at the end of it.**

**Kari10: Wow! Just wanted to say thank you for saying that this story is your favorite Supernatural story. That's a wonderful compliment.**

**Nightshifter  
Part Two**

**The next morning when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that Sam wasn't in the room with me, and Dean was at the table going through all the weapons made of silver. Silver was the only thing that could kill a shapeshifter.**

**I sat up, groaning. Sam and Dean had tried to teach me how to defensively use a knife. They said that the shapeshifter - or the one they'd come across before - could fight. They weren't superhuman or anything like that, but they could fight as well as the next person.**

**Anyway, my muscles were a little sore from the _training_ we'd done. Honestly, they'd shown me things for two hours, nonstop. We didn't use actual knives, of course, because we weren't stupid, but they showed me how to use a knife if I was in a bad situation - like if I was trapped or if my arms were being held a certain way.**

"**Where's Sam?" I asked.**

"**Out getting his and my outfits," Dean responded. "SecuriServe Guard Service or somethin' like that. Sam hacked into the bank's system and found out that that's where their security comes from."**

"**Hm." After about a minute of silence, I spoke up. "So, shapeshifters? Anything else I should know about them?"**

"**No. Not really. Just that when they turn into someone, they kinda get their memories slowly. It's like trying to download songs on a dial-up connection."**

"**Wow, that is slow." I got up, went to the table, and started sifting through the weapons Dean had laid out. Most were sharp and pointy - dangerous, in other words. "Okay…not saying it'll happen, but what if it turns into one of us? How can we tell?"**

"**You can't, not really. Just if you think we're acting strange and not like ourselves, that would be a clue."**

**------------- -**

**When Sam got back - with the outfits - we saw that he'd gotten the blueprints of the bank, too. Which was awesome and smart because I'd have never thought to do that.**

**Anyway, the security room was on the first floor - the bank was several stories high - there was a vault on the first floor as well. The first floor was mostly for savings and accounts - it was where a lot of the bank employees had their offices. The second floor was for loans. The rest of the floors, I had no idea what they were for, but I assumed the higher up in the building you were the higher your paycheck was. That was usually how it worked, anyway.**

**One of our phones vibrated and after the guys checked theirs I realized it was mine. I went back to the bed - mine was on the bedside table - and glanced at the screen. I didn't know the number but I answered anyway.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Miss Daniels?"**

"**Yes," I replied hesitantly. "Who's this?"**

"**Mr. Anderson. I spoke to you shortly after your mom's funeral."**

"**Oh. Yeah, I remember you." He'd been my mother's lawyer; he'd told me about the will my mother had written out. "Is something wrong?"**

"**No, it's just I wanted to let you know we sold the house. It was for a little under market value, but we sold it, nonetheless."**

"**Oh, okay. Did you…need me for something?"**

"**Well, yes. What did you want me to do with the money? It's a hundred-and-sixty-thousand. Now, I can deposit it into one of your already existent accounts without you being here, but if you want to put them in other banks then I'm gonna need a signature."**

"**Oh, yeah, that's not possible. I'm nowhere near San Francisco. So just put it in one of my other ones and I'll just call you back for the information later."**

"**That'll be fine, since it'll probably take a few days for the account to go into affect."**

"**Yeah, okay. Thank you."**

**------------- -**

**When we got to the City Bank of Milwaukee we found that it had its own parking garage, across the street from the bank.**

**Sam and Dean were in the Security Service uniforms, and I was vaguely stressed over the idea that Sam had stolen them, though it didn't bother me as much as it probably should have.**

**We were parking now, and we tried to get as good a spot as we could. We got one on the first level.**

"**So, this shouldn't take very long, right?" I asked. "You find the shapeshifter on the monitors, and then…what happens if it tries to leave? Should I follow it without you?"**

"**You should keep track of it, yeah, just don't…ya know, get into a fight with it or anything," Dean said.**

"**If it's even here," Sam added.**

"**Okay," Dean started, "So, it'll take us a few minutes to get set up. You come in after."**

**The two guys got out of the car, Dean grabbing a toolbox on the way. He opened the back door and slipped a knife onto the backseat beside me.**

"**That's pure silver," he said. "Take it with you when you go in."**

**I nodded. "Sure."**

**------------- -**

**I waited about five minutes before I decided to go in. I did as Dean had asked and took the knife with me. I slipped it in my pants underneath my jacket so it wouldn't be seen, and then I positioned it so it wouldn't cut me. I just hoped this bank didn't have metal detectors…because that would suck. Sam had said that it didn't, so…**

**I had to cross the street to get to the entrance of the bank, and when I got inside I noticed that there were only about eight to twelve people inside - on the first floor, anyway - and most of them were employees.**

**There were two women and a man standing behind a long desk to my left, two customers and an employee were several feet in front of me, two more customers and another employee to my right. And a security guard had just come from a back room.**

**I wasn't getting any vibes from the room, so either I couldn't sense the shapeshifter like Dean had mentioned might happen, or it wasn't here. One or the other.**

**Anyway, about a minute later, Dean called me and said the shapeshifter was the bank manager, and for me to not let him out of my sight.**

**The bank manager looked to be about thirty-five, and nothing seemed off about him except for the fact that his smile was a little forced. But he worked in a bank. If I worked in a bank and had to do the same thing all day every day, my smile would probably be forced too.**

**I walked over to the bank manager's spot in the long desk in front of me.**

"**Excuse me," I said, looking at his nametag. All it said was Bank Manager. "Hi. I wanted to talk about maybe transferring my accounts to this bank."**

"**Well, sure. New business is always welcome."**

"**Well, good," I said, smiling. "Because I just sold my house, and my attorney is still getting everything in order, but after that -"**

"**This is not a robbery!" someone shouted from behind me, and then there were two gunshots fired. I turned around and saw a man there. He had a rifle in his hands, which explained the gunshots.**

**He had black curly hair, he was wearing a tan shirt with a thick vest over it. He had on jeans and work boots.**

"**Everybody on the floor! Now!"**

**And he shot at the ceiling again.**

"**Get down, damn it!"**

**He started waving it around, and I literally jumped up onto the desk and slid across it, going down to the floor. The bank manager was no longer there. I saw him going through the door I'd seen the security guard come out of just moments before.**

**Crap.**

**I began to crawl my way towards the door, staying behind the desk because I didn't wanna get shot. Although, the guy had said that this wasn't a robbery so he was here for something else.**

"**Come on! In the middle! On the floor, in the middle! Hurry up! Come on!"**

**His voice sounded familiar, I just didn't know where I'd heard it before.**

**I poked my head out from around the desk and saw that the employees were listening, which was smart, considering this guy had a gun.**

**As soon as his back was turned, I hurried to follow after the bank manager through the door he'd gone through.**

"**Now, there's only one way in or out of here, and I chained it up. So nobody's leaving, you understand?"**

**That was the last thing I heard as I made my way through the hallway I was now in.**

**I kept going straight until I came to the first room, which was on the right. That was just a room with a bunch of filing cabinets, and no shapeshifter. Also no pile of grossness to say that it'd been there, either.**

**I walked back out of the room and ran right into Sam and Dean.**

"**Have you guys seen the bank manager?" I asked, and before they could answer, I continued. "Oh, and there's a guy in the lobby with a rifle saying that it's not a robbery."**

"**Yeah, it's Ronald," Dean answered. That would explain why I'd recognized his voice. "You go find the shifter, we'll take care of _this_. And be careful."**

"**_You_ be careful," I said back, and then began walking away to where I'd been going to start with.**

**I heard Dean say to Sam, "just let me do the talking. I don't think he likes you very much, Agent Johnson."**

**I snickered as I turned the corner. And, wow, this whole shapeshifter thing was turning out to be bad. Ronald was holding up the bank, just not for money. Well…he'd said he was gonna hunt the thing down if the law didn't. We should've done the opposite of what Sam had said; we should've told him the truth and none of this would've happened.**

**As Dean would say…this sucked out loud.**

**------------- -**

**Four doors later, I'd found nothing. No bank manager, no messy goo that had _been _the bank manager. I'd passed by the vault, two offices, a bathroom, and a utility closet. And now…now I was on my way to the second floor.**

**Or I would've been, anyway, if Dean hadn't called me.**

"**Hello?"**

"**The shifter's changed."**

"**What? Where? I've already checked all the rooms downstairs."**

"**Well, it must've changed after you checked, then."**

"**Great. Well, what'd you want me to do? I mean, we don't know who it is now." Because I'd lost it.**

"**Just meet us in the office. We're a little past the vault."**

"**Yeah, okay."**

**So, a minute later I walked into the office Dean was in. Dean…and Ronald. And Dean was in the middle of explaining what a shapeshifter was.**

"**It's human, more or less. It has human drives - and in the case, it's money. But it generates its own skin. It can shape it to match someone else's features. Tall, short, male - "**

"**So, i-it kills someone and then takes their place?" Ronald asked.**

"**Kills 'em, doesn't kill 'em, I don't think it really matters." Dean moved to the desk - every office has a desk - and picked up a letter opener.**

"**What're you doing?" Ronald asked. "And who is she?"**

**Well, he finally noticed me.**

"**She can help," Dean said. And then to me he added, "still got that knife I gave you?"**

"**Of course," I said. I nodded at the letter opener. "Silver?"**

"**Yep." For Ronald's sake Dean explained. "You remember the old werewolf stories?" Ronald nodded. "They pretty much came from these guys. Silver's the only thing I've seen that hurts them."**

**Ronald looked down at his rifle comically.**

"**Come on, Ronald," Dean said, coming towards me and the door.**

"**Wait, how do we know she's not it?" Ronald asked.**

"**Because I know her, and she's not an it."**

**I shrugged. "Actually, the bank manager saw me, so it's possible that it could look like me, wherever it is."**

**Anyway, I followed Dean out, and Ronald followed me. And then he laughed.**

"**What're you, nuts?" Dean asked, incredulous, turning to look at him.**

"**That's just it…I'm _not_ nuts. I mean, I-I was so scared that I was losing my marbles, but this is real! I mean, I was right. Except for the mandroid thing - thank you."**

"**Yeah, don't mention it," Dean remarked.**

**We were making our way to the lobby, I knew that much, I just didn't know what we were gonna do after that.**

**Anyway, I liked Ronald. As he'd said, apart from the mandroid thing, he'd been right. And of course no one had believed him because whether you're talking about a mandroid or a shapeshifter, it sounds crazy.**

"**So…what're we gonna do? Check the security cameras again?" I asked. And then the lights went off. "Or not," I said softly. "Looks like we've got visitors."**

"**Damn it," Dean said. "No, no, no."**

"**What? What is it?" Ronald asked.**

"**They cut the power. It's probably their way of saying hi."**

"**Who?"**

"**The cops," Dean and I said in unison.**

"**The cops?" Ronald said with enough shock to probably restart a heart. It was like that thought hadn't even crossed his mind.**

"**Well, you weren't exactly a smooth criminal about this, Ron. I mean, you didn't even secure the security guard. He probably called 'em."**

**Little spotlight-looking things came on in the corners of the room. I wondered if they had them all over the bank or just in the main rooms.**

"**Not to mention you fired a high-powered rifle. Someone outside probably heard it," I added.**

"**A'right…" Dean began. "Let's just take a breath here for a second, all right? They've probably got us surrounded." Ronald glanced around nervously. "They cut the power to the cameras, so there's no way of telling who the shapeshifter is." Dean paused mostly for dramatic affect, I think. "It's not lookin' good, Ron."**

**We heard a sound off to our left, and Dean made a did-you-hear-that face. I nodded, and Ronald raised his gun. God, I hoped he knew how to aim.**

**Dean gestured for us to follow him, so we did.**

**I reached around for the knife and pulled it out easily, so as not to cut myself.**

**We made our way back down the hallway we'd just come from. The noise was coming from the bathroom I'd checked earlier. There were five people in there. Three of them were employees, one was a customer, the other was the security guard.**

"**We gotta get them to the vault," Ronald said.**

"**The vault?" I asked.**

"**That's where everybody is," Dean explained.**

**So we rounded the five people up…and took them to the vault. I was thankful it hadn't been a digital vault because that would've been bad. Everyone would've been really stuck in there and not just locked in.**

**Dean turned the lock to open the door, and the first thing I heard was "oh my God! You saved us, you saved us!"**

**It was a blond chick wearing something you'd wear if you worked in a bank.**

**Dean spoke up. "Actually, we just found a few more." He ushered the people in. "Come on, everybody, let's go." When the security guard passed by him, Dean took the gun from him.**

**I secured my knife back in place, so that none of the people could see it, and wouldn't be freaked out by it.**

"**What are you doing?" Blondie asked.**

**Dean didn't answer her. "Sam, we need to talk to you."**

**Sam left the vault, and Dean gave Blondie a sheepish yet regretful look before closing the door and locking it again.**

"**It shed its skin again," Dean said, and we walked a little ways away to a room with windows. We stayed away from them. "We don't know when. Could be in the halls, could be in the vault."**

"**And the cops are here. Hence, the power outage," I added.**

"**Great," Sam muttered. "You know, Dean, you _are_ wanted by the police."**

"**Yeah," Dean said. "The thought had occurred to me."**

"**So, even if we do find this damn thing, how the hell are we gonna get out of here?"**

"**I don't know, one problem at a time," Dean answered. "A'right, I'm gonna do a sweep of the whole place to see if I can find any stragglers. Once were get everyone together, we've gotta play a little game of Find the Freak. Now, stay here." He was speaking to both me and Sam on that one. "Make sure Ronald doesn't hurt anybody. Help him manage the situation."**

"**Help him manage?" Sam basically yelled. "Are you insane?"**

**Ronald, who had moved a few feet away from us, looked back at us, obviously overhearing. Dean gave him a thumbs-up sign, telling him that everything was A-okay…which it wasn't. Not by a long shot.**

"**Look," Dean began. "I know this isn't going the way we wanted it to -"**

"**Understatement!" Sam interrupted.**

"**But if we invite the cops in right now, Ronald gets arrested, we get arrested, the shifter gets away. We'll probably never find it again, okay?"**

**Sam's eyes widened and he gestured towards Ronald, who was aiming his gun toward one of the windows, and he was in plain view with light shining on him.**

"**Ron! Outta the light!" Dean said, and then turned back to Sam.**

"**Seriously?" Sam asked.**

**I watched as Ronald did as Dean had told him to do, and then I heard the faint sound of a helicopter, so…that was either the news or more cops.**

"**Yeah, I admit Ron's game-play was a bad plan. It was even a bit of a crazy plan, but right now crazy's the only game in town, okay?"**

**Dean hit Sam on the arm and walked away. Sam looked over at Ronald.**

"**Hi, Ronald," he said awkwardly. Ronald sorta grimaced.**

**I took my knife out of my pants, and then sat on the floor, back against a shadowy wall facing away from the windows.**

"**What're you doing?" Sam asked, still sounding pissed off.**

"**Um, sitting down in a safe position," I said, sounding as if I was talking to a three-year-old. "There are probably snipers out there. There are buildings all around, which means any window in this building is dangerous."**

**Sam sighed. "You're right. Let's go back to the vault. They probably are just about suffocating, anyway."**

"**Yeah, um, I'm not goin' in there. I'm claustrophobic. So we can give them air, but…I'm not stayin' in there with the door closed."**

"**Yeah, okay."**

**So I stood back up and then I gestured for Ronald to follow us. The path between this room and the vault was completely dark, so staying concealed wasn't a problem. When we got to the vault, Sam opened it.**

"**I'm gonna keep this open," he said. "Get you folks some fresh air in there, a'right? But no one leaves this vault."**

**A telephone began ringing and I looked toward the sound. The phone was near the entranceway we'd just come through.**

"**I don't understand," the blond chick from earlier said, getting my attention. "Why are you helping him?"**

"**You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Sam said sympathetically.**

"**Hello?" another voice gained my attention now. Ronald had picked up the phone.**

**And then… "I think I've gotta get outta here!" Now the security guard had my full attention. He looked…not well.**

"**Sir, I'm very sorry, but you're gonna have to stay put, all right?"**

**I moved into the vault, handing Sam my knife as I did so, so the people would know I wasn't there to hurt them.**

"**Ronald! Hang up!" I heard Sam say, so I turned to him.**

"**Go, take care of him. I've got this," I said, moving towards the older security guy. "Now, what's wrong?"**

"**My chest hurts, and it's hard to breathe. I gotta get outta here."**

"**I really don't think that's possible."**

"**I think he's having a heart attack," a young black man said.**

**_Oh, great_, I thought. _What if he's the shapeshifter?_**

"**Okay, this guy -" meaning the guard"- comes with me. Nobody else moves." I grabbed onto his shoulders and helped him to the vault door and walked him through it, hoping I wouldn't regret this, and that he wasn't the shapeshifter.**

**When we were outside the vault I helped him to the ground.**

"**What're you doing?" Sam and Ronald asked.**

"**Look, I don't think he's faking," I said quietly. "And we can't just let him die."**

**I started fanning the guy by waving my hand back and forth in front of his face. "Just take deep breaths, okay? And try to relax."**

"**We've gotta get him outta here," I heard someone say. It was the black man from earlier.**

"**What's your name?" I asked.**

"**Sampson," he answered. He was stepping out of the vault until Ronald cocked his rifle. Sampson stopped moving, and I got up.**

"**Sampson, get back in the vault. And Ronald, _don't_ shoot anybody."**

**About two minutes later, Dean showed up and told Sam and I - quietly - that Sampson was the shapeshifter, so Sam grabbed the security guard and told him he was allowed to leave and that he was gonna help him to the door.**

"**Thank you," the security guard said.**

**Sam helped him to his feet and began leading him away. I watched and hoped the guy would be okay.**

"**Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Dean said to Sampson.**

"**You've got the gun, man." That was true. I mean, it belonged to the security guard, but still…Sampson approached us - I was standing next to Dean.**

**The guy suddenly punched Dean and bashed his head into the metal on the vault door, making Dean fall to the ground.**

**And, okay, Dean must have a hard head because he wasn't unconscious…and it hadn't even broken skin. He'd probably have a hell of a headache later though.**

**Anyway, the shapeshifter was running now and Ronald was chasing after him.**

"**Stop! Come back here!" Ronald shouted.**

**After I was satisfied that Dean was okay, I went after Ronald - even though I had no weapon and Ronald's would be virtually useless against the shifter.**

**The next couple things that happened, happened so fast I probably have them out of order.**

**I stopped because I saw that Ronald had stopped, I heard Sam shout "get down! Now!", and then there was a gunshot.**

**Someone pulled me back against them and to the wall, and then I saw Ronald falling to his knees, dropping his rifle, and going facedown.**

**I looked at whoever had grabbed me. Turns out, it was Dean. He was staring in shock at Ron. Shock is pretty much what I was feeling. I hadn't expected Ronald to die, and he didn't deserve it. I mean, he wasn't the greatest strategizer, but he wasn't evil. He'd just gotten caught up in _our_ world and now he was dead because of it.**

**Stupid cops.**

**Dean then pulled me with him to get behind another counter, and then Sam was there with us. At least _we_ were avoiding the windows.**

"**Here," Sam said, handing Dean a cord with a key on it. "Take care of the guard. I'm goin' after the shifter."**

"**Be careful," I called out to him as he moved away.**

**Dean moved a little closer to Ronald's body, but I stayed where I was. Dean grabbed what had been Ronald's rifle, and pulled it closer towards himself.**

"**Sorry, Ron," I heard Dean say sincerely. "You did a real good job tracking this thing, you really did." And then Dean scooted back to me. "You okay?"**

**I nodded. "I will be after we get this thing."**

"**Yeah," Dean sighed. "I'll be right back. Don't move unless you have to."**

"**Right." I brought my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. "Sam took my knife."**

"**Well, here. Take this." Dean put the letter opener he'd gotten from the office earlier beside me. "It's not as sharp, but it'll get the job done."**

"**Thanks. Hurry back."**

**------------- -**

**As I was sitting there I picked up the letter opener Dean had put beside me. I hadn't moved because I hadn't had to.**

**I was just thinking about how this case had gone to hell. I still thought that we should've told Ronald the truth to start with because then he probably wouldn't have even been here. And he wouldn't be dead.**

**And now the shapeshifter was _somewhere _inside the bank, the cops were outside and probably had us surrounded, so as Sam had said…it would be hard to get out even if we found the thing anytime soon.**

**This was _so_ not good.**

**------------- -**

**The first thing Dean said when he got back was "we are so screwed." And then he added, "there are cops everywhere."**

**I nodded and sighed. "So what do we do now?"**

"**Well, first thing's first. We gotta find the damn thing."**

**He took his cell phone out and dialed Sam's number, and then he put it on speakerphone. Both the guys had gotten used to doing that since I'd been around.**

"**Yeah?" Sam answered.**

"**Did you find it?"**

"**Slipped its skin."**

"**What?" Dean seemed impatient, which, duh, because now the thing was someone else.**

"**Yeah, bastard shifts fast," Sam said. "A lot faster than the one in St. Louis."**

"**So, it could be anybody. Again," I said.**

"**Yeah, and I think most of the employees are out of the vault by now," Sam said.**

**I groaned inwardly. "Yeah, 'cause we left it open."**

"**A'right, you search every inch of this place," Dean said to Sam. "Aly and I are gonna go round everybody up."**

**So that was the end of that conversation and Dean hung up.**

"**Aly?" I asked as we carefully made our way past the windows.**

"**Yeah." Dean shrugged. "It's short for Alyson. What, you don't like it?"**

"**No, it's fine. You've just never called me that before."**

"**Well, now I do," he said smoothly.**

**------------- -**

**Five minutes into the search, Dean and I had found three employees, one being the blond one who'd wondered why we'd been helping Ronald.**

"**And I thought you were one of the good guys," she said to Dean.**

**After a short silence, Dean said, "what's your name?"**

"**Why would you care?" She wasn't angry, she just sounded sad, like she'd lost all hope.**

"**My name's Dean."**

"**I'm Sherri."**

"**Hi, Sherri," he said gently. "Everything's gonna be all right. This'll all be over soon, okay?"**

**We found a few more and took them to the vault. The phone that had rung earlier was ringing again.**

"**Put them in there." Dean gestured to the vault. "I'm gonna answer that."**

**So I did as I was told. As soon as the people were in, I began to close the door but stopped and looked at Sherri.**

"**I know you're not gonna believe me, but…we're tryin' to help. And we're not gonna hurt anyone who's not what we're after."**

"**Well, then why don't you let everyone else go?"**

"**I wish we could, but we can't. Now, I have to close this, but we'll be back to let you guys out after we're done."**

**And I locked her and the others in.**

**Dean, who had just gotten off the phone, looked frustrated. "Friggin' cops," he muttered.**

"**What?" I asked. "More bad news?"**

"**We have one hour before they come in."**

"**Great," I seethed, looking up towards the ceiling. I was suddenly wondering what we were being punished for. We were basically good people, and we did not deserve the joke that had become this case. And by joke, I meant the badness of everything that was happening.**

"**Hey," I heard, and saw that Sam was heading towards us.**

"**Hey," Dean said. "We've got a bit of a problem outside."**

"**We've got a problem in here," Sam corrected, gesturing to the vault. "Did you find that woman? The one who thought you were a hero earlier?"**

"**Yeah," Dean said hesitantly.**

"**Well, so did I," Sam said. "And her throat was slit."**

"**Well, great," I said, somewhat enthusiastically. "At least we know who it is now."**

"**You can say that again," Dean replied as we went toward the vault. When Dean got it open, he said, "Sherri? We're gonna let you go."**

"**What?" She was confused. "Why me?"**

"**Uh, it's a show of good faith to the Feds, come on."**

"**Um…" She was unsure, probably because Dean had Ronald's rifle, and Sam had the knife Dean had given me, and I , in turn, had given Sam. "I think I'd rather stay here with the others."**

"**I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist," Dean said, stepping forward.**

**After about fifteen seconds, she nodded once and came towards us. Sam led the way, since he'd been the one to find the girl, and when Sherri realized we weren't going to the door, she stopped walking for a second.**

"**I thought you were letting me go," she said. "You _said_ you were letting me go."**

"**We're making a little detour first," Dean replied.**

**When we got to the place Sam had found the girl, we walked in. Sherri - the real one - was laying on the floor, her throat slit, wearing a nightgown.**

"**Oh. Oh, God." The shapeshifter started screaming and trying to get away.**

"**Is that community theatre, or are you just naturally that good?" Dean quipped.**

**Sam grabbed her and raised the knife. "This is the last time you become anybody, ever."**

"**Oh, God!" Sherri looked at the knife. "No! Oh…"**

**And…she fainted…totally just collapsed onto the floor. Sam, Dean, and I exchanged looks; we were confused by what had happened. The looks on their - and probably my - faces would've been comical in any other situation.**

**Everything was silent for a minute as we looked back and forth between the two Sherri's until Dean knelt down beside the one who had just collapsed. Dean shrugged and grabbed the letter opener I had, and then raised it as if to stab the girl/shapeshifter - whatever.**

"**Dean, wait, wait, wait, wait," Sam said in quick succession. Dean looked back at him. "What's the advantage of this plan? I mean, fainting now wouldn't help it survive."**

"**Huh."**

**Dean looked again at both Sherri's. And then he looked at me like maybe I would have the answer.**

"**I-I can't tell," I said regretfully. "I can't sense anything at all."**

**Dean got up and slowly went over to the other Sherry - the one wearing the nightgown.**

**Then there was a sound like shattering glass from somewhere nearby, but not in the room. All three of us were distracted by it. Looks like we had company, and the cops hadn't waited an hour.**

"**Oh, God! Oh, God!" Sherri was waking up - had woken up - and Sam grabbed her.**

**I was assuming she was the real one. Dean must have assumed the same thing because he tried to stab the other Sherri, and the shapeshifter stopped him and grabbed him by the throat. Dean shoved its hand away and went to stab it again.**

**The shapeshifter kicked Dean in the ribs with its knee and he fell backwards into the wall, wincing.**

**Well, that totally screwed up Dean's recovery.**

**The shapeshifter got up to run away. Sam let go of Sherri and the took off after it.**

"**Don't move," I told Sherri, who looked like she was about to faint again. I went to Dean and helped him up. "Are you okay?"**

"**Yeah," he said, although he was standing a little hunched over. "Damn it, we almost had it." He groaned a little. "You get Sherri out of here, okay? And you get out too, if you can. Lie your ass off if you have to."**

"**But you and Sam…"**

"**We'll be fine, just find a way out."**

**Reluctantly, I nodded, and then grabbed Sherri and began leading her out of the room.**

"**Is that what you were looking for?" she asked, still freaked. "What was it?"**

**I sighed. "A shapeshifter. It can make itself look like anyone. It chose you."**

"**So, that guy…he wasn't crazy?"**

"**No…no, he wasn't," I answered.**

**And then suddenly I heard a noise and I pushed Sherri against the wall and then got beside her. When I was sure it wasn't the shifter I let out a little sigh of relief. It was the S.W.A.T. team.**

**Time to try to lie my ass off.**

"**Don't shoot!" I said, announcing my presence before stepping out from the shadows, bringing Sherri with me.**

"**I work here," Sherri said. "I work here. Please, I just wanna get out."**

**I noticed there were four S.W.A.T. members in this hallway alone.**

"**There are other people in the vault," I said. "They're locked in. That's the first thing they did. They heard the glass break, and they left us here."**

**Good thing I was getting better at lying…at least to people who didn't know me.**

"**A'right, come on. We'll get you outta here."**

**So they ushered us out of the bank - through a window - and, of course they made us answer questions. Well, not the S.W.A.T. team, but the cops did.**

**There was this one guy. African America, maybe late twenties, early thirties, whose name was Henricksen. He was part of the FBI, and he was hardcore.**

**Seriously, he wanted to know why Sam and Dean were there. And, yes, he'd already known their names.**

**Anyway, I pretty much told him the truth - that the two guys had said they were hunting something called a shapeshifter. I knew he'd never believe me, and he'd just add insane to the list that said Sam and Dean were criminals.**

**I was assuming that they didn't have a file on me because Henricksen didn't seem to know who I was. I'd only been held for questioning one time - in Baltimore - and I didn't know if that counted as something they would keep a file for. Or if it would be something that would be put on a criminal record. Because if it wasn't…then I didn't have a criminal record.**

**Anyway, after the guy was done pumping me for information, he wanted to know if I was okay, whether I need to be seen for trauma…or something like that. Whatever. I declined.**

"**No, I just…I just wanna go home."**

**Henricksen then offered to have one of his men escort me and Sherri to our houses. I refused and so did she.**

**I began to cross the street - it was blocked off so it wasn't hard - and Sherri hurried to catch up with me.**

"**Wait," she said. "Wait."**

"**Yeah?" I slowed down, and looked at her.**

"**What did it want? The shapeshifter?"**

"**To rob the bank," I said bluntly. "It happened two other times that we know of."**

**We both entered the parking garage - it fit that her car was here because she did work at the bank - and I began to walk towards the Impala.**

"**Hey," Sherri said. "I'm parked on the third level, will you walk me to my car?"**

**I shrugged, and turned back around. "Lead the way."**

**------------- -**

**When we got to her car - a little blue Nissan - I was gonna just leave her there, but then I thought of something to say.**

"**Thanks for not ratting on me," I said. "That was nice of you."**

"**Yeah, well, it's the least I could do for…whatever you guys did."**

"**Yeah…um…anyway…take care of yourself, Sherri."**

"**You, too."**

**------------- -**

**Back at the car, I got into the backseat. Sam and Dean weren't back yet, which kind of worried me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I had faith in their abilities, but the bank was surrounded by police and news people.**

**My phone vibrated in my jeans pocket, so I pulled it out and checked the screen. It was Bobby. He usually never called me.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Where's Dean? I've been tryin' to call him and Sam for the past hour. I saw the news, which Dean was on."**

"**Yeah, um…Sam and Dean are still in the bank."**

"**What?" Bobby sounded worried…or as worried as Bobby ever sounded.**

"**Yeah. Shapeshifter."**

"**A'right, well…call me when they get out." He paused and then said, "and tell that idjit boyfriend of yours that he just made his job a hell of a lot harder."**

**I knew that calling Dean an idjit was just a way of getting his frustration out, so I didn't say anything. Also it was Bobby's way of showing affection. If he called you an idjit then he cared about you.**

"**Okay, Bobby."**

**------------- -**

**I got to do just as Bobby had requested about fifteen minutes later when Sam and Dean got to the car. They were dressed in S.W.A.T. team outfits - guns and all.**

"**What'd you guys do?" I asked.**

"**We got the shifter," Dean said. "And these stupid outfits. And just so I can say it first…we are so screwed."**

"**Yeah," I agreed emphatically. "And Bobby called you an idjit."**

"**That sounds like Bobby," Sam said.**

**All was silent as we drove off, there was nothing else to say. Dean had pretty much summed it up. We were so screwed.**


	35. Houses of the Holy Pt One

**Random Surfer: Wow...sorry about your laptop, but glad you got it fixed. Also glad that you liked that Alyson connected to Sherri. And mostly, I did that because I felt sorry for her in that episode. Sherri was convinced Dean was good (which he is) but then she just didn't know what was going on when Dean seemed to take over the _robbery..._so I decided to have Alyson say something. Plus, Alyson is surrounded by testosterone every day, and she needs female companionship every once in a while...even if it is only for a couple minutes.**

**Houses of the Holy  
Part One**

**After the bank disaster that had been the shapeshifter case, we went back to Bobby's. He called us idjits again, but we just took that in stride because that was Bobby for you.**

**We didn't stick around for long; Dean had just wanted to switch license plates with one of the old cars Bobby had in his yard. It would be harder to track us if we had different plates. So instead of Kansas plates, we had Ohio plates now. And I didn't even wanna know how Bobby had gotten Ohio state plates when he lived in South Dakota. Although, his place was basically a junk yard, so…**

**Bobby had told us about a woman - Gloria somebody - who had killed a man and said that an angel told her to do it. Sam had seemed interested in the story and Dean was indifferent, and maybe a little skeptical.**

"**Come on, an _angel_ made me do it?" Dean said mockingly. "I've heard 'the devil made me do it', I've _seen_ demons make people do things, but an angel?"**

"**Yeah, that's what Bobby said she said," Sam replied. "In Rhode Island, Gloria Sytnik stabbed a man in the heart and then turned herself in saying an angel told her to do it."**

"**And why are we checking this out?" Dean questioned. "The woman's obviously just crazy. There's nothin' weird or supernatural about it."**

"**I think it's interesting," I said from my usual place in the backseat.**

**We were on our way to Providence, Rhode Island, and we'd been on the road for maybe two hours. Dean hadn't shut up since we got in the car.**

"**What? Why?"**

"**Come on," I said, smiling slightly. "Even if she's nuts, it's interesting. Thinking you've been visited by an angel…that's gotta be amazing, exciting, and terrifying all at once."**

"**Yeah, but it's not real," Dean said firmly. "Angels don't exist."**

**I shrugged. "If you say so."**

**I settled back into the seat and stopped talking. If Dean didn't believe in angels or God there wasn't anything I could do to convince him. Dean was a very 'I have to see it to believe it' type of person, and since I was neither God nor an angel, I didn't think he'd listen to me if I started preaching. He'd just get mad or bored.**

**------------- -**

**We stopped at a motel when we got to Fort Wayne, Indiana. We were still about a day's drive from Providence, Rhode Island, and we were planning on leaving around six in the morning and we'd get there tomorrow night.**

**Anyway, Dean had stopped protesting and just went along with us. He still thought Gloria Sytnik was nuts and full of crap, but he said we could check it out - obviously - even though he didn't think it was our kind of thing.**

**Sam had pretty much fallen into bed and had gone to sleep as soon as we'd come into the room, Dean had turned the TV on - some sport thing that I had no interest in was on -, and I got on Sam's computer to find out everything I could about Gloria Sytnik; I wanted to know if she'd had any other episodes like the one we were checking out.**

**I found out she was a former prostitute, and now she was in a mental institution.**

"**Why would an _angel_ visit a prostitute?" Dean asked, still skeptical.**

**I shrugged. "Objectively speaking, prostitutes are one of the groups of people who _need_ to be visited by an angel. I mean, they can't be happy. They've gotta feel lost, even if they don't show it on the outside. And if this is real - and I'm not saying it is - but…if it is, then maybe she was chosen because she needed something to believe in."**

"**She killed someone," Dean argued.**

"**I didn't say she was right," I said, going back to the computer in front of me.**

**I came across one article that described Gloria's confession. Basically, it said she said she'd been at home watching TV, she cut the TV off but it came back on by itself. Her living room began to shake, the furniture began crashing, and things were falling off the shelves. A very bright light appeared in the doorway, getting brighter every second, and it started talking to her. It told her it was an angel, and he was offering her a chance at redemption…by killing a man who was 'guilty to his deepest foundations'.**

**When the cops had arrested her and committed her to the psych ward, she'd seemed at peace, like…she'd been saved.**

"**This might not be an angel," I said. "But it's something weird." And then I went on to summarize what I'd just read.**

"**Well, we're gonna have to talk to her," Dean said.**

"**She's in a mental institution," I reminded him. "She's probably one of the high security ones, too."**

**Dean shrugged. "We can do it."**

**I bit my lip. "_You_ can't. You were seen on TV, remember?"**

**Dean grimaced. "Oh, right. Well, you and Sam can do it."**

"**Yeah, and you're gonna love that," I said sarcastically. "Bein' cooped up all the time."**

"**Yeah," he said, taking to this idea as much as he was taking to the idea that an angel was responsible for Gloria's killing of the man she'd murdered.**

**------------- -**

**Two days later, we were in Providence, Rhode Island - we'd checked into a motel the night before -, and Dean was on one bed, I was on the other. The only reason for that was Dean's bed was vibrating. There was this _Magic Fingers_ thing in the room we were staying in, and to Dean it was relaxing; to me it was annoying.**

**Anyway, Sam wasn't here. He'd gone to the mental institution that Gloria Sytnik was in. I didn't know how, exactly, but he was going to get in to see her, get a read on her mental state. I'd opted to stay here to keep Dean company, and to keep him sane.**

"**Hey, let me use your headphones to your Ipod," Dean said, so I got them out of my purse and tossed them to him.**

**I turned the TV on and flipped through the channels, stopping on some movie about robots and a metal cube. Oh…_Transformers_.**

**I'd seen the movie before, but it was good so I left it on. It was on the part where the guy was running away from the police car/Transformer, which was one of the funniest parts of the movie in my opinion.**

**Anyway, it must had been Shia LaBeouf-day or something because _Disturbia_ was coming on next. Not that I'd get to watch it; Sam would hopefully be back by then.**

"**Hey, Dean?"**

**I didn't get an answer, so I looked over at him. He had the headphones plugged into his phone and his ears so he hadn't even heard me speak. I shook my head fondly, and turned back to the movie. Bumblebee was explaining through the radio that that was the only way he could talk.**

**When I looked back over at Dean, I saw that his eyes were closed, and I wondered if he'd drifted off to sleep, but…I mean, come on…the bed was still vibrating.**

**I threw a pillow at him, and he jumped a little when it landed on his chest, which I found highly amusing. Then he threw it back, but I caught it before it hit me.**

"**What?" he asked, taking one of the phones out of his ears.**

"**Nothin'," I said, wondering if I should talk about what I wanted to. It was kind of a hard subject for both of us.**

"**What?" he asked again, only this time more gently.**

"**You're not gonna like it," I warned. "It's about San Francisco."**

"**About your house?"**

"**What?"**

"**Selling your old house? I mean, you lived there almost all your life, it's gotta be hard."**

"**Oh." I bit my lip before continuing. "It's not…really. My mom died there. And the bad overshadows the good, ya know?" I turned the volume down on the TV. "No, I needed to tell you something about what happened the last time we were there."**

**Dean stiffened and his eyes became guarded. "Yeah, what about it?" He sat up, taking the other phone of out his ear.**

**I sighed. "Look, I know you hate talking about that. I mean…I almost died, so…I get it. And I wouldn't be bringing this up _now_ it I didn't think it mattered, but those demons that were…doing what they were doing…they told me that my abilities come from a higher power."**

"**Yeah, but they also said that Sam would be the one to kill you, and we both know _that_ won't happen."**

"**Well, yeah," I agreed. "But my abilities have to come from somewhere, right? Just like Sam's has to come from somewhere."**

"**And you think yours comes from…?"**

**I sighed again. "Don't laugh, but…God. I mean, He is considered a higher power. Or _the_ Higher Power."**

"**And that's what you believe?" Dean was skeptical, but that was okay.**

**I shrugged. "I want to. It's scary, thinking that I was chosen for something and I don't know what it is yet."**

"**You have faith in someone you can't see," he said, making it sound like an accusation.**

"**Well, yeah, that's kinda what having faith means," I said, smiling slightly. "I mean, I think church is the government's way of trying to control people…but that doesn't mean that God loves me any less."**

"**So that means you believe in angels and destiny and all that?"**

"**Yes. I think whatever's meant to be, will be. If something is _meant_ to happen then nothing can be done to change it."**

**Dean shook his head. "I think we make our own destinies."**

**I shrugged. "Humans have free will, so that's a valid opinion." I paused and then laughed a little. "Are we having a theological conversation?"**

**He smiled softly. "I think we are. Which is weird because I'm not known for being deep and meaningful."**

"**Not on the outside, anyway," I added, because, let's face it, Dean had his moments.**

**------------- -**

**When Sam got back, Dean had used enough quarters for the magic fingers to be on for two hours, and it was still running. I mean, I get the whole enjoying-the-small-things-in-life thing, but Dean was being a little excessive.**

"**Hey," Sam said.**

"**Hey," Dean said back. "Man, you've gotta try this. I mean, there really is magic in the Magic Fingers." He wiggled his fingers for emphasis.**

**Sam looked away. "Dean…you're enjoying that way too much, it's kinda makin' me uncomfortable."**

"**What am I supposed to do? You've got me on lockdown here. I'm bored outta my skull."**

"**Hey, you were the bank robber on the eleven o'clock news, not me. We can't risk you just walking into a government facility."**

"**Mm." Dean sounded like he didn't care.**

**Sam rolled his eyes, and walked to the bathroom, leaving the door open.**

**There was a small _ting_ that came from the machine beside the bed, and Dean looked at it. "Aw, damn it. That was my last quarter." He hopped off the bed and went towards the bathroom. "Hey! You got any quarters?"**

"**No!" Sam said firmly.**

**Dean stood in the bathroom doorway and said, "So, did you get in to see that crazy hooker?"**

"**Yeah…Gloria Sytnik…and I'm not so sure she's crazy."**

**That got my attention and I stood up, going over to where the guys were.**

"**She seriously believes that she was…touched by an angel?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. Blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy, the works. I mean, she's living in a locked ward, and she's totally at peace."**

"**Oh, yeah, you're right. Sounds completely sane," Dean quipped. "What about the dude she stabbed?"**

"**Uh, Carl Gulley. Said she killed him 'cause he was evil."**

"**Was he?" I asked.**

"**I don't know." Sam shrugged. "I couldn't find any dirt on him. I mean, he didn't have a criminal record, he worked at the campus library, he had lots of friends, he was a churchgoer."**

"**Hm. So, then Gloria's just your standard-issue wacko," Dean said. "I mean, she wouldn't be the first nut job in history to kill in the name of religion, know what I mean?"**

"**Okay," I said, stepping in. "Just to be objective here…on the other hand, what if what she said is real? I mean, just because this guy went to church, doesn't mean he practiced what he preached…or what he heard, in this case."**

"**Not to mention, she's the second in town to murder because an angel told them to," Sam said. "Little bit odd, don't you think?"**

**Dean took that in stride. "Well, odd, yes. Supernatural, maybe. But angels? I don't think so."**

"**Why not?"**

"'**Cause there's no such thing, Sam," Dean said, as if it should've been obvious.**

**Sam scoffed. "Dean, there's ten times as much lore about angels as there is about anything else we've ever hunted."**

"**Yeah, and you know what? There's a ton of lore on unicorns, too," Dean replied defensively. "In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams, and they shoot rainbows outta their ass."**

**Sam looked crestfallen, and went to sit on the bed. "Wait, there no such thing as unicorns?"**

"**That's cute," Dean said automatically. "I'm just sayin', man, there's some legends that you just file under bull crap."**

"**And you've got angels on the bull crap list?" Sam said, disbelief coloring his voice.**

**Dean sat on a chair, and I leaned back against the dresser.**

"**Yep," Dean answered Sam's question.**

"**Why?"**

"**Because I've never seen one," Dean said simply. "And I believe in what I can see."**

"**Dean, you and I have seen things most people couldn't even dream about."**

"**Exactly, with our own eyes. That's hard proof, okay? But in all this time, I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed, that we would've crossed paths with them, or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a demon or a spirit. Ya know, they find people a few fries short of a Happy Meal and they trick them into killing these randoms."**

"**Maybe," Sam compromised.**

**Dean sighed. "Can we just -" He broke off. "I'm goin' stir-crazy, man. Hey, let's go by Gloria's apartment, huh?" Dean stood up and went to his bed.**

"**I was just there…nothin'. No sulfur, no EMF."**

"**You didn't see any fluffy, white wing feathers?" Dean joked, sitting down.**

**For the most part, Sam ignored him, but he did roll his eyes. "_But_ Gloria did say the angel gave her a sign. Right beside Carl Gulley's doorway."**

"**Could be somethin' at his house. It's worth checkin' out."**

"**You just wanna get out of this room," I accused lightly.**

"**Yes, I do. Now, let's go."**

**------------- -**

**To get to Carl Gulley's house, we had to go past two small neighborhoods and go through the main street where the markets were.**

**Anyway, there was snow on the ground, which, duh…Rhode Island in February kinda makes for cold weather.**

**When we pulled up to the house, I noticed that there was a metal fence going around the yard, which didn't really mean anything. A lot of people had fences.**

**We got out of the car and went up the porch steps; there was a plastic angel decoration next to the door.**

"**Right. That's a sign from up above," Dean said sarcastically. Dean looked through the windows but didn't say he'd seen anything, so I assumed there wasn't anything there. "Well, I think I've learned a valuable lesson. Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Years, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God. Ha!"**

**I glared at him. "You know, I find that very condescending."**

**Sam went to the fence - which was a little ways open. We went through towards the backyard and stopped when we saw a cellar door. It was padlocked in three places.**

"**Ya know, Gloria said the guy was guilty to his deepest foundations," Sam said.**

"**You think she literally meant the foundation?" Dean asked.**

"**If it was an angel, then chances are it was being _very_ literal," Dean looked at me weird, probably wondering how I knew that. "What? I've read the Bible. And whether we're dealing with a real angel or not…it wants us to think we are, so it would have to act like one."**

**Sam went to work on the padlocks - they were rusty so it was easier to break them than it was to unlock them - and we were finally able to go down into the cellar.**

**There was a double window on the right side, and the room was relatively empty aside from a few shelves and a ladder and gardening equipment. I went toward the shelves and saw some orange gooey stuff in a jar and a few nails and other odds and ends beside it.**

"**Hey, um, I found somethin'," Sam said from the opposite side of the room. Dean and I walked to him.**

"**What?" Dean said, squatting down beside Sam.**

"**It's a fingernail," Sam replied.**

**On the wall where Sam had gotten the nail from, were hand prints and claw marks, like someone had been trying to get out.**

**Dean sighed and went to get some shovels from the side of the room. There were only two, so they got to work.**

**------------- -**

"**So much for the innocent, churchgoing librarian," Sam said as they finished digging.**

**There was a skeleton there. There was only bones, no flesh, so I assumed whoever this had been, had been here for a while.**

"**Really," I agreed.**

"**Yeah, well, whatever spoke to Gloria about this knew what it was talking about. I'll give you that," Dean said.**

"**How much you wanna bet this is a girl from college. I mean, you said he worked there, right?" I asked Sam.**

"**Librarian," Sam commented.**

"**Well, then that's where we should go," Dean said.**

"**Um, campus is a public place, someone could recognize you," I said quietly, not really wanting to say we should take Dean back to the motel, but it's what I meant.**

**Dean seemed annoyed by that, which I got because Dean wasn't used to being kept out of things. He was actually the one who was used to calling the shots.**

**Anyway, back in the car, I just started talking to ease the tension that had sprung up from me saying we should keep Dean at the motel.**

"**Did you know that Rhode Island was founded in 1636 on the principle of religious freedom?"**

"**Yeah, Roger Williams was the founder," Sam said. "Originally, he came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England. Later, he got in trouble for his religious views. He fled Massachusetts and came here."**

**Dean scoffed in the driver's seat. "God, it's like you two are mind-melding."**

"**Hey, I saw it on a statue," Sam defended himself. "I don't know where _she_ got it from."**

"**Um, I paid attention in history class," I said. "I just thought it was ironic seeing as to how this case is about an angel." Dean sighed. "Or whatever it is," I added, just to appease him.**

**------------- -**

**With Dean having been dropped off at the motel room - with quarters that I'd given him - Sam and I made our way to the college where Carl had worked.**

"**So, I take it from the way you reacted to Dean's behavior, that you'd be okay if this was an angel," Sam spoke. He was the one who was in the driver's seat now.**

**I nodded. "I think it would be pretty awesome. Although it would probably screw Dean up."**

"**Yeah, probably."**

"**And…what about you?" I asked. "I mean, it's obvious how Dean feels about the whole thing, but you haven't really said much."**

"**I like to think there's a God," Sam said softly. "I like to think that we're not here alone. Ya know?"**

**I laughed a little at that. "Yeah, I know. But, trust me, if we were alone, I think we'd be dead by now. I would've been dead the first time Yellow-Eyes came after me."**

**------------- -**

**About fifteen minutes later, the two of us pulled up to this really nice campus. There were trees - maple, maybe - on each side of the concrete path leading to a building that may have been the main office, I wasn't sure.**

"**Don't most college campuses have little boards with arrows pointing to the buildings?" I asked.**

"**I'm sure they have one of those somewhere."**

**And Sam was right. About thirty seconds up the pathway there was a wooden board that told us we were, in fact, heading toward the main office. There were also two arrows - one pointing left, the other, right. If we went right we'd be heading to the science and history part, if we went left we'd be heading to the student lounge, the cafeteria, the book store, and the library.**

"**So, left it is," I said, turning to go that way and crossing my arms to block out the cold. It felt like it was around 30 degrees. "Okay, so…you go to the library, and I'll go to the lounge. We'll meet in the middle after we're done."**

**In the lounge, I noticed there was a couch with a coffee table loaded with magazines, there were chairs on either side. There was a TV that was on one of the soap channels, I wasn't sure which though because I hadn't seen a soap since I was, like, ten.**

**There was another table on the opposite side of the room with games like chess and checkers stacked beside it. And right above that was a bulletin board.**

**There were only about six people, not including myself, in here, and nobody was near the board. I went towards it. In the middle were three missing persons ads - three different girls, all from this college.**

**It kind of annoyed me because surrounding the ads were notices for parties and protests and it seemed kind of disrespectful to me.**

"**It's sad, isn't it?" a male voice said from off to the side.**

**I jumped a little because I hadn't been expecting someone to talk to me. I looked toward the voice, and saw it belonged to a young man, maybe a little younger than Sam.**

**He was wearing a blue jean jacket with a black shirt underneath it, blue jeans, and sneakers.**

"**Yeah, it is," I replied, taking in his features. He was fair-skinned, and had sad eyes. "Did you know them?" I gestured to the ads.**

"**We had classes together," he said. "But nobody really knew them. But then when they disappeared, it was like…"**

"**They suddenly became popular?" I suggested, and he nodded. "So, were they the quiet type? The type that was almost invisible…until they vanished, anyway?"**

"**They were really school-oriented," the guy said. He looked at me, and I noticed his eyes were a light brown. "They used to hang out in the library a lot. Each of them did, before they disappeared."**

"**That's weird," I commented. "I'm Alyson, by the way."**

"**Jason," he replied, holding out his hand for me to shake. "You're not from around here, right? I mean, I haven't seen you around campus."**

"**No, I'm not. I was just checking out the campus," I said, saying the first thing that came to mind. "I was thinking about maybe coming here in the spring, but seeing as to how people are going missing…"**

"**Yeah, it doesn't look very inviting, does it?" Jason joked.**

"**No. And that librarian guy? I heard someone stabbed him in the heart." I only brought it up to see if Jason would add something to it, and he didn't disappoint.**

"**Yeah, and she told the cops an angel asked her to do it. She's a nut."**

"**Did you know the guy that was killed?"**

"**Just in passing." Jason shrugged. "He always seemed nice enough."**

"**Hm." Shows how much he knew.**

"**So…what are you gonna major in if you come here?" he asked.**

"**Um…ya know, I'm not sure. My interests are endless, and I'm tryin' to keep my options open." I looked down at my watch. I had been in here for about twenty minutes, and now it was time to go. "Anyway, I've gotta meet my brother, so I've gotta go."**

"**Well, I can walk you there, make sure nobody snatches ya."**

**I smiled slightly. "If you want to. I mean, it's a free country, right?"**

"**Exactly."**

**So we walked out of the lounge, and I told Jason we might have to go all the way to the library. He didn't mind.**

"**So, do you like the campus?"**

**I shrugged. I was indifferent. I wasn't really coming here, so it didn't matter anyway. But I had to keep up the charade.**

"**It's nice. It's no different than any other campus I've seen."**

"**You're not that big on school, are you?"**

**Again, I shrugged. "It's not school itself, I don't think. College is okay. I mean, you don't _have_ to go if you don't want to. But it's the other school that's annoying. It's something you have to do which makes me rebel."**

**He laughed a little. "So you hated going to school because it was mandatory? All right. So, you go against authority, and you agree with free will. Those are good things to know."**

"**I'm not against _all_ authority," I corrected. "Just the ones that don't make sense. Ya know, I mean, sure, elementary school is needed because everyone should be able to read, write, and do basic math. They should know the basics of each subject, and then after that, students should only have to study what they're interested in."**

"**Makes sense," he said. "At least you'd have a head start in college."**

"**Yup."**

**Two minutes later, we were at the library door and he said, "well, if you decide to come here, look me up, and I'll show you around town."**

"**Yeah, sure." I didn't feel bad for saying that since I probably wouldn't be coming back here. Ever.**

**------------- -**

**When Sam and I got back to the motel, Dean was sitting on the bed, which wasn't vibrating, with a police radio. And I wasn't sure but we'd probably stolen it from a police car at some point.**

"**Did you bring quarters?" Dean asked longingly.**

"**Dude, I'm not enabling your sick habit," Sam said, sitting on his bed. "You're like one of those lab rats, that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies."**

"**What're you talkin' about? I eat." Dean said defensively. "And I've got news."**

"**Me, too," Sam replied.**

"**A'right. You go first."**

"**Three students have disappeared off the college campus this year. All of them were last seen at the library."**

"**Where Carl Gulley worked?"**

"**Yup," Sam and I said in unison.**

"**Sick bastard."**

"**Definitely," I remarked. "This guy I talked to said all three girls were very yay-school, and they hung out in the library a lot."**

"**You mean the guy you _flirted_ with," Sam corrected, grinning.**

**I glared at Sam. "I was not flirting. I was being friendly."**

"**Flirting and being friendly?" Dean asked, looking at me from his spot on the bed.**

"**Not flirting," I exclaimed. "He started talking to me about the three girls. We were looking at the missing persons ads, and that's all." I glanced at Sam. "Can we move on now?"**

"**Sure." Sam seemed slightly amused, and then his expression grew serious again. "So, Gloria's angel - "**

"**Angel?" Dean interrupted.**

"**Okay. _Whatever_ this thing is -"**

"**Well, whatever it is, it struck again," Dean broke in again.**

**I sat down beside Dean, ready for him to explain. "What happened?"**

"**I was listening to the police radio before you got here. There was this guy, Zach Smitt, some local drunk. He went up to a stranger's front door last night, stabbed him in the heart."**

"**And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed?" Sam asked.**

"**Yep. Roma Downey made him do it," Dean quipped. And okay, seeing as to how I'd reacted to his earlier remarks, my reaction now was a little unexpected, but I laughed.**

**Dean looked at me weird - probably because I hadn't found that remark condescending like I had his other less witty comments when we'd been at Carl's house - and then he got up from the bed. He went over to the mirror and pulled a Post-It note off the glass.**

"**Now, I, uh…I got the victim's address…" Dean trailed of suggestively.**

**Sam and I looked at each other, both of us shrugging, and stood up. We'd have to go to the victim's house sooner or later, and why put off for tomorrow what you can get done today. Especially when people were dying, whether they were innocent or not.**

**Besides, it wasn't our job to decide who lived or died, we just helped the ones we could.**

**------------- -**

**At the victim's house - the crime scene tape was still up -, we went around to the side of the house, and Sam used a knife to loosen the lock enough to open a window, which is how we got in.**

**All three of us had EMF meters - even though I was pretty good with feeling things out that were weird. We were thinking that maybe there was something in the house that would attract whatever was doing this, and maybe Carl had had something, too…aside from the body.**

**Sam went for the computer, which was in this office-type room that was connected to what I assumed was the living room. Dean and I went our separate ways, planning on doing a quick sweep of each room.**

**I took the bathroom, the kitchen, and the laundry room. Got nothing from it…so waste of time. I had thought that maybe there was something here that would maybe connect this guy to Carl Gulley, but at the moment the only thing they had in common was how they had died.**

"**Hey, guys, I think I found somethin'," Sam called out, so I went back to the computer room. Dean was already there.**

"**What?"**

"**There's a locked file on this computer," Sam said. But then Sam pressed a few buttons and it wasn't locked anymore.**

**A bunch of e-mails popped up that were to this girl named Jenny. And when I say girl, I mean _girl_. The child was thirteen years old.**

"**Ew," I said under my breath.**

"**Looks like they met in a chat room," Sam observed. "And they were setting up a time and place to meet. They were supposed to meet today."**

"**Three guesses as to why," I replied, disgusted. "And this girl's parents should be arrested for not paying attention. I mean, they obviously aren't monitoring what she's doing."**

**Dean sighed, and then said, "I guess if you're gonna stab someone…good timing. This is weird, ya know? I mean, sure, some spirits are out for vengeance, but this one's almost like a do-gooder. Like a…"**

"**Avenging angel?" Sam suggested, but Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, how else do you explain it, Dean? Three guys, not connected to each other, all stabbed through the heart? At least two were world-class pervs, and I bet if you dug deep enough on the other guy -"**

**Throughout Sam's whole speech, Dean had been looking around the room, and now he was holding up a piece of paper. "Hey, you said Carl Gulley was a churchgoer, right?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**What was the name of his church?"**

"**Uh…Our Lady of the Angels?" Sam sounded unsure.**

"**Of course that'd be the name." Dean handed the piece of paper over to Sam. "Looks like Frank went to the same church."**

**What Dean had been holding was a newsletter for the Our Lady of the Angels church. The first thing I thought was _why is it always the Catholics who have all the trouble_?**

**Not that I wanted trouble, it was just that nine times out of ten, when it came to trouble with religion a lot of people blamed it on the Catholic Church.**

**But, anyway, enough about the church; I didn't think that was the core problem here. It was probably something or someone connected to the church. But I didn't think it was an angel anymore. Because after all, an _angel_ wouldn't need a human to do its work for it. An angel would've smote these men itself. **

* * *

Oh, and I'm sorry if I offended anyone with the church comments that weren't already in the episode. Remember people, it's just a story. LOL.


	36. Houses of the Holy Pt Two

**Random Surfer: I'm glad to know that other people out there watch the show over and over again. (I think I border on being obsessive. LOL.) I kinda like the fourth season the most even though it's got a lot of angst in it (More than the usual amount). And, yeah, it is kinda hard - and funny - writing about Dean's lack of belief seeing as to how in season four he becomes heaven's plaything. LOL. Oh, and I feel like slapping Sam a lot, so I'm right there with ya. (That sounds so bad, doesn't it?) But anyway...that's another story altogether.**

**Houses of the Holy  
Part Two**

**Sam, Dean, and I pulled up to the Our Lady of the Angels church, and at first glance the place was kinda creepy. It had a very gothic feel to it, and as I'd said…creepy.**

**Anyway, we talked to a Father Reynolds, and told him we were interested in joining the Parish. Lying to a church official…that's gotta be double sin points than for lying to a regular person. Right?**

**The room we were in had pews on either side of the aisle we were walking down. There were the traditional stained-glass windows, and paintings depicting different saints and angels and different famous battles.**

"**Well," Father Reynolds said. "We're happy to have you. We could use some young blood around here."**

"**Mm. Hey, listen, I've gotta ask you…no offense, but, uh, the neighborhood?"**

**Father Reynolds nodded sadly. "It's gone to seed a little, there's no denying that. But that's why what the church does here is so important. Like I always say, you can expect a miracle, but in the meantime, you work your butt off."**

**I smiled openly. "I can get behind that."**

"**Yeah, and, um, we heard about the murders."**

"**Yes, the victims were parishioners of mine. I've known them for years."**

"**And the killers said that an angel made them do that?" Sam asked.**

"**Yes, misguided souls. To think that God's messenger would appear and incite people to murder. It's tragic."**

"**So, you don't believe in those angel yarns, huh?" Dean asked.**

"**Oh, no, I absolutely believe. It kinda goes with the job description."**

**We came to a stop in the middle of the aisle and I looked around, my eye catching a bronze-colored statue(?) of Christ on the cross.**

**I turned my head away quickly; I found that image disturbing. And it wasn't that I didn't appreciate what it meant, it was just that I found it horribly morbid, and it was something I'd rather not dwell on at the moment.**

**Thankfully, I didn't have to dwell for long because Sam pointed out a painting - a rather famous one - of the Archangel Michael.**

"**The Archangel Michael with the flaming sword - the fighter of demons, holy force against evil."**

"**He's supposed to be the one who stopped Satan - or trapped him, anyway. Oh, and he's supposed to have been the one who stopped Abraham from killing Isaac. Although that's been given to other angels, as well. And he's the one who told the Virgin Mary when she was going to die."**

**Father Reynolds looked surprised. "I can see you've done some reading. Not many people know that."**

"**Oh…" I blushed. "Um…my mind remembers things like that. But, yes, I do a lot of reading."**

"**But they're not really the Hallmark card version that everybody things, right?" Sam asked, referring to the angels. "They're fierce, right? Vigilant."**

"**Well, I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful," Father Reynolds said. "But, yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors. "An angel of the Lord appeared to them. The glory of the Lord shone down upon them, and they were terrified."."**

**Sam and Dean continued to star at Father Reynolds, confused.**

**I rolled my eyes at them and sighed. "It's from the Bible. Pick it up now and then, ya might know somethin'."**

**I'd just been joking about that last part, but Father Reynolds smiled at my comment, and, ya know, at least he appreciated my good humor. Although, the two guys looked highly unamused.**

**Oh well, they'd get over it.**

**------------- -**

**Outside, on the steps, Dean, Sam, the Father, and I continued talking. I noticed what looked like a small altar set up near the sidewalk. I hadn't noticed it when we'd gone in.**

"**What's that?" I asked politely, gesturing to the altar.**

**Father Reynolds looked over at what I was pointing at. "Oh, that's for Father Gregory. He was a priest here."**

"**Was?" Dean asked.**

"**He passed away right on these steps. He's interred in the church crypt."**

"**When did this happen?"**

"**Two months ago. He was shot for his car keys."**

"**That's stupid," I blurted out. And then, hurriedly, I added, "not that he died, but that someone would kill for car keys."**

"**I agree," Father Reynolds said. "He was a good friend. I didn't even have time to administer his Last Rites. But like I said, it's a tough neighborhood. Ever since he died, I've been praying my heart out."**

"**For what?" Sam asked.**

"**For deliverance from the violence and the bloodshed around here. We could use a little divine intervention, I suppose."**

"**I think everybody could," I said.**

"**Well, Padre, thanks," Dean said, holding out his hand to shake the Father's hand. "We'll see you again."**

**Sam and I did the same and Father Reynolds went back inside. The three of us went towards the altar that had been set up for Father Gregory. There were candles and roses and even a cross. Leaning up against one of the candleholders was a picture of Father Gregory.**

**Dean picked it up. "Now it's all starting to make sense. Devoted priest dies a violent death - that's vengeful spirit material, right there. And he knew all the other stiffs 'cause they all went to church here. In fact, I'm willin' to bet that because he was their priest, he knew things about them that nobody else knew."**

"**Then again…Father Reynolds started praying for God's help about two months ago, right? Right about the time all this started happening?"**

"**Oh, come on, man, what's your deal?"**

"**What'd you mean?" Sam asked, honestly confused.**

"**Look, I'll admit, I'm a bit of a skeptic," Dean said, "but since when are you all Mr. _700 Club_? I mean, seriously, from the get-go you've been willing to buy this angel crap, man. What's next? You gonna start praying everyday?"**

**After a brief pause Sam said, "I do pray everyday. I have for a long time."**

**Dean just looked at him for a while, taken aback. And then… "The things you learn about a guy. Huh. Well, come on, let's go check out Father Gregory's grave."**

**Dean walked away, looking like he didn't know what to make of Sam's confession.**

**I looked at Sam sympathetically and grabbed his arm to drag him with me to wherever Dean was leading us.**

**------------- -**

**To get to the church crypt we had to go through a room that had about six angel figurines. They were life-size except for the ones that were meant to be Cherubim - they were smaller, which was good because modern mythology usually described them as childlike.**

"**Yeah, this isn't creepy at all," Dean said.**

"**It's a church, Dean," I remarked. "Besides…you said you didn't believe in angels, so they shouldn't bother you."**

**We continued walking until we came to a door, and then Dean went through it. I followed after him. Him and I were now standing in another room with pews in it.**

"**I pray, too, ya know," I said. "Sam's not the only one."**

"**Yeah, well, good for you. Whatever helps you sleep at night."**

**I sighed. "Okay, look. You know how I feel about this, and I know how you feel…and I don't want this to come between us. So can we agree to disagree and then keep our beliefs to ourselves unless the other person asks for an opinion?"**

**Dean nodded slowly. "Where's Sam?"**

"**I dunno." I hadn't noticed he wasn't there, I'd just thought he was being quiet. "You go look for him, I'll go see to the grave."**

**We were near another door and I went through it while Dean went the other way. The room I was in now wasn't a room, exactly, it was more a pathway to other doorways. One of the doors led outside, I could see. Another door opened to another worship room. The last door I looked through led to the actual crypt, and I saw right away some type of plant. I didn't know what it was; I'd never seen it before. But it was only growing near where Father Gregory had been interred - as Father Reynolds had put it.**

**I went back out to look for Sam and Dean, and I found them in the room Dean and I had separated. Sam was sitting on a pew, and he was speaking.**

"**It spoke to me, it knew how I was."**

"**It's just a spirit, Sam. Okay? And it's not the first one to be able to read people's minds." Dean sat one a pew opposite him. "Now, let me guess, you were personally chosen to smite some sinner. You've just gotta wait for some divine Bat Signal, is that it?"**

"**Yeah, actually."**

"**Great. I don't suppose you asked what this alleged bad guy did?"**

"**Actually, I did, Dean. And the angel told me…he hasn't done anything. Yet. But he will."**

**Dean got back up, and I was finally right where they were. I sat down beside Sam, and Dean looked at us.**

"**I don't believe this."**

"**Dean, the angel hasn't been wrong yet. Someone's gonna do something awful, and I can stop it!"**

"**You know, you're supposed to be bad, too, Sam. Maybe-maybe I should just stop you right now."**

"**Okay, guys. Dean, you're not gonna kill Sam," I said. "And Sam, I don't think what you saw was an angel."**

"**Thank you," Dean said, sitting back down.**

"**I didn't say it 'cause I don't believe in angels," I said, clarifying. "But I found something weird near Father Gregory's grave."**

"**So we're not even gonna consider the possibility?"**

"**What, that this is an angel?" Dean almost growled.**

"**Yes!" Sam yelled. "Maybe we're hunting an angel here, and we should stop. Maybe this is God's will."**

"**Okay, a'right. You know what? I get it. You've got faith. Hey, good for you. I'm sure it makes things easier. I'll tell you who else had faith like that - Mom. She used to tell me when she'd tuck me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me."**

"**You never told me that," Sam said, eyes glistening.**

**Dean shrugged. "What's to tell? She was wrong. There was nothing protecting her. There's no higher power, there's no God. There's just chaos and violence and random, unpredictable evil that comes out of nowhere, and rips ya to shreds. You want me to believe in this stuff? I'm gonna need to see some hard proof. You got any?"**

**Neither of us answered, but what I really wanted to say was just because God doesn't help when you want Him to, doesn't mean He won't help when you need Him to. It's kind of like that Garth Brooks song _Unanswered Prayers_. Just because you don't hear a verbal response or see a physical one, doesn't mean God isn't listening or that He doesn't care. He's just waiting for the right time.**

**------------- -**

**Back in the crypt, Sam and Dean were squatting next to Father Gregory's grave marker.**

"**So…what is it?" I asked, referring to the plant growing around the marker and steadily up towards a window.**

"**It's wormwood - a plant associated with the dead, specifically the ones that are not at rest. I don't see it growin' anywhere else, except over the murdered priest's marker. It's him, Sam."**

"**Maybe."**

"**Maybe?"**

"**Dean, I don't know what to think."**

"**Is there a way we can find out?" I asked. I felt kinda caught in the middle here. I wasn't on Sam's side, but I wasn't on Dean's, either.**

"**We can summon Gregory's spirit," Dean suggested.**

"**What?" Sam asked. "Here in the church?"**

"**Yeah. Yeah, we just need a few odds and ends, and that séance ritual in Dad's journal."**

**Sam scoffed. "A séance, great. I hope Whoopi's available."**

"**That's funny, actually. Seriously." Dean didn't sound like it was funny at all. "If Father Gregory's spirit is around, the séance will bring him right to us. If it's him, then we'll put him to rest."**

"**But if it's an angel, it won't show," Sam countered. "Nothin' will happen."**

"**Exactly," Dean said. "That's one of the perks of the job, Sam. We don't have to operate on faith. We can know for sure. Don't you wanna know for sure?"**

**Sam reluctantly nodded, and turned to walk out.**

"**Where're we going?" I asked as Dean and I followed Sam.**

"**Well, grocery store for one. And I don't know where else."**

**------------- -**

**So at the grocery store, we got most of what we needed, and everything else Sam and Dean said we already had.**

"**Dude, all right, I'll admit, we've gone pretty ghetto with spell work before, but this takes the cake," Sam said, grinning. "I mean, a Spongebob placemat instead of an altar cloth?"**

"**We'll just put it Spongebob-side down."**

**Sam laughed and shook his head.**

**Dean and I began to cross the street to get to the car, but stopped when Sam said, "Dean, that's it."**

"**What?" Dean began looking around.**

"**That's the sign." Sam pointed to a man, standing on the street corner holding a grocery bag. "That's him, Dean. We have to stop him."**

**The guy began walking, and Sam tried to follow, but Dean stopped him.**

"**You're not gonna go kill somebody because a ghost told you to. Are you insane?"**

"**Dean, I'm not insane. I'm not gonna kill him, I'm gonna stop him."**

"**Define 'stop'. What're you gonna do?"**

**I watched as the man got into his car. "Well, he's getting' ready to go, so whatever we're gonna do we better do it fast."**

"**Dean, he's gonna hurt someone, you know it," Sam said.**

"**A'right. Come on," Dean said, going to the Impala, unlocking the door, and getting in the driver's side.**

**When Sam and I tried to get in, however, the doors were locked - we'd done that before going in the store.**

"**Dean, unlock my door," Sam demanded.**

"**I've got this guy," Dean said. "You guys do the séance."**

**Dean started the car and drove off. I assumed I was supposed to play watchdog.**

**------------- -**

**Back at the church crypt, Sam and I started setting up for the ritual. We'd done as Dean had suggested and used the placemat facedown. Sam had to draw some sort of design on it and place the candles -mostly white, but one big black one - in a sort of circle with the black one in the middle.**

**I lit the candles one by one and Sam opened his father's journal. He got some type of leaves out of the grocery bag - they looked like spinach leaves, but they probably weren't - and then pulled a pouch of some kind of powder out of his jacket pocket.**

**Sam picked the journal up from the floor and offered it to me. It was in Latin. "Wanna try?"**

"**No." I couldn't read Latin. "With my luck I'd probably turn him into a zombie or something."**

**Sam smiled gently, and then began chanting, then after he was done, he sprinkled the powdery stuff onto the black candle and it sparked.**

**The door to the crypt opened and Father Reynolds came in. "What're you doing?" He took in the candles. "What is this?"**

**Sam set the journal on the ground. "Uh…Father, please. I can explain. Um…actually, maybe I can't."**

**I sighed, standing up. "This is a séance," I said bluntly. "We think that Father Gregory is responsible for the people that killed others and said an angel made them do it.**

**Father Reynolds was stunned for a moment, but then he said, "you two come with me."**

**We began moving to the door, but stopped because the room started filling with a bright light. The feeling I got this time wasn't the usual spirit-chills. It was warm; it reminded me of when I'd talked to the spirit of my mom.**

"**Oh, my God. Is that…is that an angel?" Father Reynolds asked, sounding mystified.**

"**No, it's not." Sam was disappointed, I could hear it in his voice. "It's just Father Gregory."**

**The light slowly faded and, sure enough, Father Gregory was standing where the light had been.**

"**Thomas?" Father Reynolds whispered.**

"**I've come in answer to your prayers," Father Gregory said, smiling slightly. He caught sight of Sam and looked slightly confused. "I thought I sent you on your path. You should hurry."**

"**Father, I'm sorry, but you're not an angel."**

"**Of course I am," Father Gregory said calmly. And he was calm…it was a little freaky how calm he was being.**

"**No, you're a man. You're a spirit. And you need to rest."**

"**I _was_ a man. But now I'm an angel," he said simply, and firmly. He really believed he was an angel.**

"**Do you…remember what happened to you?" I asked gently.**

"**I was on the steps of the church, and I felt that bullet pierce right through me. But there was no pain. And suddenly, I could see…everything. Father Reynolds, I saw you, praying and crying here. I came to help you."**

"**Help me how?"**

**Father Gregory looked at me. "I believe Alyson has already answered that question."**

"**Those murders…that was because of you?" Father Reynolds stepped closer to Father Gregory.**

"**I received the word of God. He spoke to me, told me to smite the wicked. I'm carrying out His will."**

"**You're driving innocent people to kill."**

"**Those innocent people are being offered redemption." Father Gregory turned to Sam. "Some people need redemption. Don't they, Sam?"**

"**How can you call this redemption?" Father Reynolds asked.**

"**You can't understand it now. But the rules of man and the rules of God are two very different things."**

"**Those people - they're locked up," Sam said gently.**

"**No, they're happy. They've found peace, beaten their demons. And I've given them the keys to Heaven."**

"**No," Father Reynolds said. "This is vengeance. It's wrong. Thomas, this goes against everything you believed. You're lost, misguided. You are not an angel, Thomas. Men _cannot_ be angels."**

"**But…but I don't understand. You prayed for me to come." For the first time since he got here Father Gregory seemed unsure of himself.**

"**I prayed for God's help, not this. What you're doing is not God's will. Thou shall not kill. That's the word of God."**

"**Let us help you," Sam said.**

"**No." It wasn't a refusal, exactly, it was more like he was in denial. He turned to look at his grave, and his calm, confident pose was slowly cracking.**

"**Look," I said, stepping forward. "I know this is gonna sound harsh and blunt, but…you died. You're not supposed to be here anymore. Not on this plane of existence anyway."**

"**It's time to rest, Thomas, to be at peace," Father Reynolds said. "Please…let me give you Last Rites."**

**After a few seconds considering, Father Gregory nodded. When Father Reynolds began I grabbed Sam by the hand and dragged him outside. The ceremony they were going through was sacred - in my opinion -, so it only fit that we shouldn't witness it. After all, we weren't Catholic, and we didn't belong to this church.**

**------------- -**

**After getting our stuff together, Sam and I left the church. We walked towards the motel we were staying in. It was dark and even colder than it had been earlier.**

"**We should've called a cab," I said, tugging my leather jacket closer to my chest to block the cold.**

"**It's not that far," Sam said, shrugging. "We'll be fine."**

"**Yeah, okay." Silence fell over us for a short while, but then I couldn't take it anymore. "You're not stupid for having faith, Sam. And just because _this_ wasn't an angel, doesn't meant they don't exist. It just means we weren't meant to meet one face to face."**

"**Yeah." Sam still sounded disappointed, and maybe even a little resigned, and then something clicked in my mind. Father Gregory had said Sam needed redemption.**

"**You know that what Father Gregory said was wrong, right? He was human, he had no right to make judgments."**

"**Look, um…I really don't wanna talk about it, okay?"**

"**Sure," I said, nodding quickly. "But Sam…you can't hide from it forever. You're gonna have to face it someday. And I know, I'm the last person who should be telling you that since I run away from my abilities too…but they're a part of you, you're abilities are. They make you different, but it's your fault if you stay that way. They don't define you. Just remember that."**

**------------- -**

**Back at the motel, Sam and I started packing. I didn't think we were gonna leave that night, but I was putting Dean's stuff with mine, just in case.**

**Speaking of Dean, he walked in just as Sam was finishing up. He took one look at Sam's emotional state and said, "how was _your_ day?"**

**Sam sighed as Dean shut the door. "You were right. It wasn't an angel. It was Gregory."**

**Dean took out a flask from his pocket and then took a swig, which was weird in itself because Dean didn't just randomly drink. He offered it to Sam, and he also took a drink.**

"**I don't' know, Dean, I just…I wanted to believe so badly." Sam sat down on his bed, and Dean shrugged his jacket off, tossing it onto the table. "It's so damn hard to do this…what we do. All alone, ya know? There's so much evil out in the world, Dean, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up…"**

"**Yeah, well, don't worry about that, a'right? I'm watchin' out for ya."**

"**Yeah, I know you are. But you're just one person, Dean. And I needed to think that there was somethin' else watchin', too, ya know? Some…higher power, some greater good. And then maybe…"**

"**Maybe what?" Dean asked.**

"**Maybe I could be saved," Sam said, and I couldn't see his face, but I could tell by his voice that he felt like breaking down. "But, uh…ya know, that just clouded my judgment, and you're right. I mean, we've gotta go with what we know, with what we can see, with what's right there in front of our own two eyes."**

**Dean looked down at the floor. "Yeah, well, it's funny you saying that."**

"**Why?"**

**I got done getting out stuff together and I sat down on the bed opposite Sam.**

"**Gregory's spirit gave you some pretty good information," Dean admitted. "The guy in the car was bad news. I barely got there in time."**

"**What happened?"**

"**He's dead," Dean answered.**

"**Did you…?" Sam trailed off.**

"**No. But I'll tell you one thing…the way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I never would've believed it. I mean…I don't know what to call it."**

"**What?" Sam asked. "Dean, what did you see?"**

**Dean didn't answer for a few seconds, but then he said, "maybe…God's will."**

**Then Dean went on to explain that the guy Sam had been meant to stop died because a pipe had stabbed through his chest…in a car accident.**

**So, it was either a coincidence, which I didn't believe in, or it really was God's will. It had been _fated_ to happen.**

* * *

As always...let me know what you guys think.


	37. Born Under a Bad Sign Pt One

**MoonlitePrincez314: Hey, yeah...Alyson just seemed - to me - to be someone who would have faith. And yeah...I think I've got her reaction to Castiel already figured out. LOL.**

**Supernatural-Stalker: Love the name. LOL. Just thought I should tell you I was thinking of 'Days of Our Lives' too. I was actually gonna put that in there as the one they were watching, but then I said 'nah!'. Maybe I should have? Anyway, glad you're hooked and thanks for reviewing.**

**Born Under a Bad Sign  
****Part One**

**A day later, Sam turned up missing. Again. And this time it wasn't like last time. Sam hadn't been arguing with Dean, and he'd been generally happy. As far as Sam goes, anyway.**

**Sam had been at the motel - in a separate room - and then when Dean and I had gotten up the next morning…no Sam.**

**At first, we thought maybe he'd gone out for breakfast or something equally as innocent, but then when half a day had gone by with no word we began to worry. We'd tried calling, but…no answer. Only voicemail.**

**And this time even I was freaking out. I had been the voice of reason when Sam had left last time, but this time Sam had had no reason to leave, and it made me wonder if something had happened to him. He wasn't here, but most of his stuff was, which was weird and it meant that either something had happened and he'd to leave quickly, or he just hadn't wanted us to worry about him too early so he'd left his stuff to make us think he was coming back.**

"**Did he say anything to you?" Dean asked as we got into the car.**

"**No," I said. "But we checked his room, and it didn't look like anything had been there…or anyone."**

**The first thing we'd done was call Bobby to see if he'd heard from Sam. He hadn't, of course. Our luck just wasn't that good. Never had been, probably never would be.**

**Then we'd called Ellen, telling her to be on the lookout. She'd said she'd call Jo, and tell Ash. But she hadn't heard from Sam, and she made a comment about us not keeping a good enough eye on him, and hadn't we been here in this situation recently?**

**I'd wanted to tell her that was ironic seeing as to how she probably didn't even know where Jo was. But I didn't because I'm a nice person, and I had better things to worry about.**

"**I don't know why he left…or even if he left on his own," I said, which wouldn't put Dean's mind at rest, but it was the truth. "But we'll find him. I promise."**

**------------- -**

**About an hour later, I called my dad. In all honesty, I'd sorta - but not really - forgotten about him. It wasn't like I'd totally forgotten completely. It's just Sam had been on my mind instead.**

**It wasn't that I thought Sam would contact Jack, anyway. It was more a precaution than anything else. It was just to tell him to keep an ear and eye out, and let us know if he found anything out.**

"**Have you tried hacking into his cell phone's GPS?" I asked Dean, knowing he hadn't because I'd been with him the whole time. "Can we even do that?"**

"**I can…or…better yet, we can get Ash to do it. He could probably do it without even calling the phone company."**

"**Do you want me to make the call?"**

"**Please."**

**So I called Ash at the Roadhouse.**

"**Dr. Badass here," he answered.**

"**Hey, Ash. I need a favor."**

"**Name it, and I'll see if I can do."**

"**Hack into the GPS on Sam's phone, see if you can find where he is."**

"**Yeah, okay. Stay on the line. It'll take a few minutes."**

"**Will do."**

**So…a few minutes later… "Ash said that he's in New York." I was kinda confused by that.**

"**New York? Where in New York?" Dean asked.**

"**Um, upstate, he said. New Paltz, or something like that."**

"**New Paltz?" Dean looked like something had clicked in his mind. "That's where that chick lives."**

"**Um…be more specific?"**

"**Sarah something. The girl that Sam liked."**

**Oh…yeah. I'd forgotten about that. Not that he'd liked her, of course, but everything else - like where exactly she had lived. And something about this was weird anyway.**

"**Why would he go there now?" I questioned, and Dean shrugged. "I mean, without telling us? Why would he do that?"**

"**I don't know, okay," Dean snapped.**

"**_Don't_ yell at me," I snapped back. "It's not my fault that he's gone…_again_." And I knew that adding the 'again' to the end of that sentence wasn't helping matters any - as a matter of fact, it was probably only adding insult to injury, or salt to the wound or whatever - but I knew if I didn't say something now, Dean's attitude would only progress. And it really _wasn't_ my fault for Sam being gone, so I wasn't gonna let him take his anger out on me.**

**------------- -**

**Ash had kept us updated and, apparently, Sam was pretty stable because the GPS was in the same place - New York. Ash had even narrowed it down to a café near the art gallery where Sarah Blake had worked.**

**And then we'd asked Ash to get the number for the gallery, and Sarah's home phone number just in case.**

**Now that we knew where we were going, now that we had a goal we could focus on, Dean seemed calmer for some reason. It was like the real irritability Dean had been feeling was more because he hadn't had a place to start than anything else.**

**I tried calling Sam again - it had to have been the seventh time in the last hour alone - but got his voicemail again.**

"**Um, okay, either you're ignoring me or you don't have your phone on you -" which was ridiculous since he was supposed to be in a café "- but when you get this - along with my other messages - call me. Or Dean. Or at least text us if you don't feel like talking, let us know you're safe."**

**I shut my phone and sighed. "When we find him, we're really gonna have to remind him that communication is a good thing."**

**I let my mind wander as I turned my gaze to the window. The scenery outside was mostly snow and ice-covered trees. And, yes, it was beautiful, and normally I would stop and appreciate it, but today it just clashed horribly with my mood. I mean, the sun was shining down, glistening off the pure white snow, but I felt as if it should be cloudy and storming. The sky should have been dark to match my mood.**

"**So, uh, we should be there in about four hours," Dean said, making it a point to not be snappy. "Maybe we should call Sarah and give her a heads up?"**

"**Yeah, sure," I said. "Should I, or do you want to?"**

"**You can do it."**

**So about five rings later, I got an answer at the gallery where she'd worked. I didn't know whether it was an employee or Sarah's father, but it _was_ a guy who answered.**

**He went through the whole spiel about how they were the finest aft gallery in the state, and whether I was interested in buying or selling.**

"**No," I said politely, "actually, I was wondering if Sarah Blake was in."**

"**May I inquire as to who's calling?"**

"**Um, she may not remember me, but we met about seven or eight months ago. My name's Alyson. Uh, tell her I'm a friend of Sam's."**

"**One moment, please."**

**Exactly a minute later a girl said, "Hello?"**

"**Sarah?"**

"**Yes. Hi." She still sounded as friendly as she had been.**

"**Hey, um, I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Have you seen Sam?"**

"**No," she said, confused. "He's not with you guys?"**

**So she did remember who we were. Granted, it would be hard to forget someone who introduced you to the supernatural world.**

"**No, he's not. We hacked into the GPS on his cell phone, and it says he's in New York, near where you are, but he -"**

"**Where?" Sarah interrupted. "I can go find him."**

"**Um…some café. A cyber café, I think."**

"**There's a few of those around here, but I can check them all."**

"**Yeah, okay. He's not answering his phone, either, so…if you find him tell him to call, okay?"**

"**Yeah." A nervous silence fell between us, and then she said, "do you think he's okay?"**

**I glanced over at Dean, who was focusing on the road, and then answered. "I don't know, Sarah. I hope so."**

**She sighed, and we said our goodbyes.**

"**She's gonna look for him. If he's there, she'll find him."**

"**Good," Dean said firmly. "Then I can ask him why he left, and them maybe beat him half to death for not tellin' us where he was goin' and not answerin' his phone."**

**I scoffed. "You know you won't do that."**

"**Yeah, you're right."**

**------------- -**

**One thing I noticed as we were heading toward New York was that Dean didn't have the music as loud as he normally did while Sam was with us.**

**I didn't really understand it, and I didn't need to. It was just an observation I'd made.**

"**So he really didn't say anything to you? About leaving?"**

"**Dean," I said, turning in the seat to look at him, "if I knew anything, I would've told you."**

"**I know, I know," he conceded, "it's just…it seems like I'm always chasing after the kid, and honestly, I don't mind finding him because he's my brother, but every time he leaves it's…"**

"**Harder? And it reminds you of the first time he left?"**

"**Yeah." He sounded like he was glad that he hadn't had to say it himself. "Exactly."**

"**That's normal." I was silent for maybe five seconds and then I said, "Uh, Dean, listen, I may be overstepping my bounds here, but…when Sam left it wasn't about you, I don't think. Sam's just…I don't know how to say this nicely, but…maybe selfish…or spoiled?"**

**Dean kinda looked like he was getting angry, and honestly, I got it because Sam was his baby brother, and nobody can badmouth Dean Winchester's brother, but…**

"**And before you yell at me, let me explain. What I mean is, Sam's gonna do what Sam wants to do when he wants to do it."**

"**That's not fair," Dean protested firmly.**

"**Yes, it is. I'm not saying he's not a good person. He's second only to you, in my book, but he's…used to getting his way most of the time. I mean, he loves you, and he would do anything for you. But…he's spoiled, as I said."**

"**Still not fair. You weren't there when we were growing up."**

"**No, but I'm willing to bet you did everything you could to make him happy. I'm also willing to bet that you went out of your way to make sure he had almost everything he wanted."**

**Dean didn't answer, which was as good an answer as any.**

"**You never had that, Dean." I hadn't actually set out to dredge up old memories, it was just where the conversation had naturally gone. "And you had to give up everything to take care of him." _When John wouldn't or couldn't_.**

"**We were talking about him leaving, what does this have to do with that?"**

"**I'm getting there." And so I was. "As I said, when he left the first time - when I was with you - it was about him, not you. I mean, even when he went off to college it wasn't about you. He wanted to be normal. Then, he left you to go find answers about himself."**

"**Do you actually have a point to all this?" Okay, so I was hitting a nerve apparently, because he was becoming defensive again.**

"**My _point_ is that you shouldn't take it personally when he leaves because it's not about you. He doesn't do it to hurt you, or to spite you. I mean, I'm not saying it hurts any less, but he's not doing it because he knows it hurts. He usually does it for himself."**

**A moment passed and then Dean said, "you should've been a shrink." It was said in a playful way so I assumed he wasn't mad at what I'd said about Sam.**

**I was glad he wasn't angry and that he didn't get offended when I stated my opinion. I wasn't one who usually kept my thoughts to myself unless I didn't know or trust the person I was talking to.**

**------------- -**

**In New York, we met up with Sarah. Her hair was shorter than it had been the last time we'd seen her, but other than that she looked the same. She seemed genuinely worried, so I assumed she hadn't found Sam. Also…he wasn't with her; that was another clue.**

**She was at the gallery, which had closed for the day. After looking for and failing to find Sam, Sarah had come back here to wait for us. **

"**Hey, I found this," was the first thing Sarah said when we found her.**

**She handed us a cell phone; it was Sam's. "It was in one of the café's I checked. Um, I know the owner, Eddie, and he said that Sam - or someone who looked like the guy I described - had been there for a couple of hours this morning. And seeing as to how that phone was there…it was probably him."**

"**Yeah," Dean replied. "Did _you_ find it, or…?"**

"**Oh, no," Sarah replied. "Eddie kept it, he thought maybe Sam would come back for it."**

"**Do you think we could talk to Eddie?"**

**Sarah nodded. "Sure. It's just, we'll have to go to his house."**

"**Can you leave now?" I asked. "And come with us?"**

**She smiled. "You think I'd let you do this without me?"**

**So we piled into the car and Sarah began directing us towards her friend's house. The evening traffic - it was around five - was horrible, and it seemed like it was gonna take a while.**

"**Can you guys think of another reason why he'd be here?" Sarah asked. "Because he hasn't been in touch with me at all."**

"**I don't know," Dean said, shrugging. "I mean, as far as I know, you're the only person who he knows from around here."**

"**Hm."**

**Things were quiet again until Sarah told us to turn left. And then… "How've you guys been…before now."**

"**Well, we're alive," Dean said. "And that's about all I can say."**

"**And we haven't come across anymore haunted paintings, so the art world is safe as far as we know," I added.**

"**What _have_ you come across?" she asked.**

**Dean shook his head. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."**

"**Okay," she drew it out, making it sound longer than just two syllables.**

**Dean was probably right about her not wanting to know. Sarah knew about ghosts already, but she didn't need to know about the demons and vampires and all the other stuff we'd come across.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Eddie's place - it was a penthouse, doorman and all - Sarah led us to his door, and as we were walking Sarah started talking.**

"**Okay, so he doesn't know Sam and I were attracted to each other, so…don't say anything, okay?"**

"**He your boyfriend or somethin'?" Dean asked, ever so eloquently.**

"**Um, yeah," Sarah admitted. "Sam made it clear we could never be together, so…"**

"**You couldn't wait to see if he'd change his mind," I said, filling in the last of her sentence.**

"**Exactly," she said.**

**At the door, Sarah didn't knock, she just pulled out a key and opened the door herself.**

"**Eddie?" she called out.**

"**Yeah, I'm in here," a sorta deep voice called out. And then a guy - a shirtless guy - came out of one of the rooms and walked into where we were. "Oh," he said, eyeing me and Dean. "I didn't know you were bringing anybody."**

**He didn't seem mad, just surprised.**

**Anyway, he was very well-built; his body was built sorta like Dean's, and his chest led down to jeans - black - and some high-dollar shoes.**

**I made it a point to look at the floor, because I didn't know this guy, so it was a little embarrassing to be seeing him half naked.**

"**Um…I'm gonna go throw a shirt on."**

**And so I looked up at his retreating back.**

"**Sorry about that," Sarah said, and she really did sound apologetic. "I should've called and warned him. He's probably embarrassed…even though he has nothing to be ashamed of," she ended mischievously, and began walking off in the direction Eddie had just gone.**

**I noticed - now that I was looking around and not at the floor - that the place we were in was on the top floor, and there was a big window in the living room overlooking the city outside. It was almost dark so all the lights showed themselves beautifully.**

**The place was furnished fashionably with black leather chairs, and a sofa was against the far wall. On the opposite wall were two shelves. One was full of books, the other held pictures.**

"**I wonder if she sleeps here every night," Dean said.**

"**I don't know, and don't you dare ask. That's not your business." I turned to him and whispered, "do you think it's okay to look?"**

**He shrugged, but moved forward anyway. He didn't care that it was someone else's home. Social decorum wasn't his strong suit, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It was part of his charm.**

"**Yes, you can," Eddie said, coming into the room, and he must have Superman hearing because he hadn't even been in the room when I'd been whispering. Or maybe I had whispered louder than I thought I had.**

**Eddie didn't look like an Eddie to me. Eddie seemed too informal because he was wearing what looked like a business shirt. It was blue and white striped. He looked more like a CEO of a company than a café owner.**

**Actually, he reminded me of the Green Arrow from Smallville. Blond hair, chiseled features, bright smile, handsome, with a weird sense of kindness in his features, and maybe a little playfulness.**

"**So, you guys are looking for someone?"**

"**Yeah, uh, my brother," Dean said. "That cell phone you found belongs to him."**

"**Mm. Do you think he's okay?" Eddie asked, genuinely concerned.**

**Sarah came out behind him. "They don't know. They were sorta hoping maybe you talked to him or noticed anything strange."**

"**Well, I don't know him - Sam? - but he didn't seem strange. He seemed really calm. He didn't talk to anybody except to order coffee."**

**Dean seemed crestfallen. "A'right, well, we should go look for him at the motels around here, see if he's in any of them."**

**I sighed. "Do you need me for that? I mean, you know more about the types of places he'd stay in by himself than I do. And I've been cooped up all day in the car." I looked back at Sarah and Eddie. "If it's okay, I'd like to stay here for a while."**

**Eddie shrugged. "Sure. Sarah told me she hadn't seen you for a while. Ya'll could probably use the time to catch up."**

"**Do you care?" I asked, turning to Dean.**

"**No. You can stay here. It's up to you," he said. And okay, his words said it was up to me, but his tone was saying that he needed me, and would I please come with him? Who was I to say no to that?**

**------------- -**

**Dean and I checked every motel and tried every name Sam usually used when him and Dean were apart. We got nothing for our efforts.**

"**Okay, he had to have been here," I said, "or we wouldn't have found his phone. But why would he leave it?"**

**We had just gotten back into the car after searching the last motel around here. It was a little after nine and it was dark aside from the lights from the surrounding buildings.**

"**I dunno, maybe he was just leading us in the wrong direction. Ya know, messing with us."**

"**No, he wouldn't do that," I said quickly, knowing it to be true. "Something must've made him do this."**

"**Yeah." Dean sighed in frustration. "Do you feel like sleeping in the car tonight?"**

**I shrugged. "Not really, but if you wanna leave tonight I can."**

"**Nah, it's okay. Sarah's boyfriend - what's his name - said we could stay there. So we'll sleep a few hours and then go."**

**------------- -**

**Sleeping proved to be harder to put into practice than it normally was for me. Usually with me it's two minutes getting comfortable and then I'm fast asleep. But not this time. And it wasn't because I was in a different bed - we hardly ever slept in the same bed for more than three or four nights -, it's was because Sam wasn't here and I was sure something bad had happened to him.**

**I made a great show of pretending I was sure Sam was fine and that we'd find him and everything would be fine, but that wasn't the case here at all.**

**I sighed, and an arm wrapped around my midsection and pulled me close. Dean's chest was to my back, and I could feel the warmth seeping from him into me.**

"**You should be asleep," he said softly, though he sounded as if he'd been awake this whole time too.**

**His hand moved from my stomach, traveled up the length of my arm to my neck, where he moved the hair away that was covering it. His lips latched onto the place where my neck met my shoulder, and his tongue played over it a couple times.**

**I sighed softly as a shiver went through me when his teeth grazed over the spot.**

"**Dean," I whispered, turning to face him. "We can't do anything here. We barely know the guy who lives here."**

**Dean grinned half-heartedly. "Hey, I was just kissing my girlfriend. It's not my fault that your mind leaped forward."**

**I smiled slightly and put my head on his shoulder. Then my smile fell. "This isn't gonna be easy," I said, moving closer to his side. "It's probably gonna take a while."**

"**Yeah, I know. It's gonna be like lookin' for my dad all over again."**

"**Only I think we'll find Sam a little faster than you did your dad. You know everything about Sam, just use that."**

"**Yeah, well -" he broke off as his phone started ringing - well, vibrating. He reached for it, and turned the lamp on before picking his cell up.**

**I closed my eyes against the light as it filled the room, and I shifted with Dean as he sat up and looked at the screen on his phone.**

"**Hm." He flipped his cell phone open. "Hello?"**

**I waited patiently for Dean to put it on speakerphone. But he didn't.**

"**Are you sure it was him?" Dean asked whoever he was talking to. "He asked you not to call me?"**

**Okay, so…someone had obviously seen Sam, and Sam had known we'd be looking for him and had told the person not to tell Dean.**

"**Okay, I'll be there tomorrow." And he hung up. "That was -" he looked at me and broke off.**

"**That was what?"**

"**A, uh, an old friend of mine. Said she saw Sam."**

"**Yeah, okay. Where?"**

"**Missouri. She said he trashed his motel room and left town."**

"**Oh." Trashing motel rooms? Who did Sam think he was, a rock star?**

**------------- -**

**We told Eddie and Sarah that we were sorry we couldn't stay and that we'd call when Sam was found. Well, actually, _I_ told them that. Dean was in a hurry to get out the door. When I got to the door, however, Eddie pulled me off to the side. I was confused at first, but then he started talking.**

"**I haven't told anyone that you guys are here, but I saw Dean on the news."**

**I blinked a few times in surprise, and swallowed nervously. "And?"**

"**And I'm not _going_ to tell anyone -you guys know Sarah and she wouldn't be friends with you if you guys were dangerous - but there's something I have to know."**

**Oh, God. Eddie was going to ask _why_ we'd been in the bank, I was sure of it. And what was I supposed to tell him? The truth? That we hunted monsters, things he'd only heard of in movies, and other things he'd probably never heard of at all?**

"**Sam's the guy, isn't he?" Eddie asked.**

"**What?" That had caught me by surprise and totally messed up my train of thought.**

"**_The_ guy. Sarah's always held something back from me, and I always wondered who it belonged to. It's him, right?"**

"**Oh, um -" I looked down at the floor, "- wow."**

"**I've made you uncomfortable," he said apologetically.**

"**You really have," I retorted. "But, uh…she told me not to say anything about it. She said you didn't know. Apparently that was a miscalculation, huh?"**

"**Apparently," he agreed.**

"**Look, Sam and Sarah only knew each other a couple days, but yeah, they were attracted to each other. She went through something life-changing with him. And that's pretty much all I can say. If you wanna know more you'll have to ask Sarah."**

"**Thank you," he replied sincerely.**

"**Yeah, don't mention it. And tell Sarah I really am sorry that I couldn't stay longer. It would've been nice to catch up with her."**

**------------- -**

**Dean and I were in the car headed towards Missouri. I wasn't sure exactly where. Dean had said something about the town, but I was hanging between the sleeping and waking state, so I'd missed it.**

"**Hey, uh, I need to talk to you," Dean said softly, and I forced myself to pay attention. "This, uh, this girl we're goin' to see. Her name's Cassie."**

"**Okay." I shrugged, not understanding the connection to the name, but the tone in Dean's voice said it was important. "Um…I'm guessing there's a back-story here?"**

"**Yeah, you could say that. I went out with her for a while a couple years back. I haven't see her since last year."**

"**Oh. Is this the one you told the truth to?"**

"**Yeah." Dean sounded like this was awkward for him. "I just thought you oughta know, so you wouldn't just randomly find out when we got there."**

"**Yeah, that might have caused a problem," I replied. "So, why would Sam go there?"**

"**I dunno. Maybe he's feeling nostalgic." I knew Dean was just joking, so I didn't say anything. "No, it seems like he's sending us on a wild goose chase. The only reason we're even goin' is 'cause I want to check out the motel room he was in."**

"**How're we gonna do that?"**

"**Easily, as long as they haven't cleaned it up yet and rented it out. Cassie's a journalist for the local paper. She could get in for pictures of somethin'."**

"**Oh, that's…nifty."**

"**You're okay with this, right?" he asked. "Because we don't _have_ to go. Sam's not even there anymore."**

"**No, you know Sam was there…so there might be a clue as to where he went next. It doesn't matter who told you he was there, but we have to go check." I looked over at Dean. "Are _you_ okay with going?"**

"**Yeah," he said, although he seemed unsure. "Yeah. Ya know, we ended things the last time we were together. It's cool."**

**I didn't say anything because we'd sorta talked about this before. He'd said once that he'd never been as open with anyone as he was with me, and I believed him. And I knew he cared about me. But I also know seeing someone you used to go out with could dredge up old feelings you thought were gone.**

**I guess we'd have to wait and see.**

**------------- -**

"**Hey, we're here."**

**That was the first thing I heard when I woke up. Actually, it's what had woken me up.**

"**What?" I asked groggily. And, ow, my neck was stiff. I'd fallen asleep against the window.**

"**Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We're here."**

"**Oh. How long was I asleep?"**

"**About eight hours."**

"**Really?" That would explain the crick I had in my neck.**

**I looked at where we were - in a motel parking lot - and yawned. There were woods behind the motel and on the opposite side of the road I assumed we'd just come from.**

"**This the place Sam was in? The place he trashed?"**

"**Yup."**

"**Did you check the room?"**

"**Nope, we just got here, and, uh, I called Cassie to see if she could get us in. We'll do things the legal way for once."**

**I laughed a little at that. "That'd be a welcome change. So she's gonna meet us here?"**

"**Yeah, is that okay?"**

"**Yeah," I said firmly. "And we've already talked about this. Is this about me or you? Are you okay?"**

"**I never thought I'd see her again," he said softly. "So can I tell you after?"**

"**Oh, um…okay." That hurt a little. "Yeah."**

"**It's nothing bad," he said quickly. "And I know that…you're the one I wanna be with. You're the one I _am_ with, and that's not gonna change. But I don't know how I feel about seeing her again."**

**I didn't really know what to say to that, but the little speech had reassured me a little in a weird way.**

**I reached for his hand, and the fact that he let me hold it was good enough for me.**

**------------- -**

**Cassie arrived about ten minutes later. She parked right beside us, and then when she got out of the car I saw that she was - maybe - half-white, half-black. She was slim, and she looked about twenty-five-ish.**

**Dean and I got out of the car. The three of us stood there for about ten seconds of silence - not awkward, just silent. Dean was the first to speak.**

"**Hey, Cassie, uh -" he grabbed my hand "- this is Alyson. She's my girlfriend."**

"**Really?" She seemed politely curious. "How's that working out for you."**

"**Good," Dean and I said in unison.**

"**Good? Good." She eyed our joined hands and seemed maybe a little amused. "I don't remember you being much of a hand holder."**

**Dean shrugged. "People change, I guess."**

"**Obviously," she said dryly. She looked at me. "Well, it's nice to meet you."**

"**Likewise," I replied. "So, um, the room?"**

"**Right," Cassie said, and then she began walking. "It's this way."**

**So we followed her - our hands still together, which I think was for Dean's benefit as much as it was for mine - to one of the rooms. This was one of those motels where the rooms led outside to the parking lot so we didn't even have to go inside to talk to the manager. We probably should have, but we didn't.**

"**This is the same motel we stayed in when we were here the last time," Dean said. "When'd you see him, anyway?"**

**Cassie answered as we went through the door. "Yesterday."**

**And wow…the place really was trashed. The bed sheets were in a sorry state all over the floor, the pillows looked like they were barely hanging together, and one of them actually had feathers coming out of it.**

**The two lamps that were in the room were broken and, really, the only reason I could tell they'd been lamps in the first place was the bottom where the cord began.**

"**I wasn't sure it was him at first," Cassie confessed. "So I followed him here. He seemed okay, and we talked."**

"'**Bout what?" Dean asked.**

"**Not much. Just what's been going on since you'd been here last. But he made it clear he didn't really want you to know he'd been here. And to be honest, I wasn't going to tell you. Until this happened."**

"**Did he do this while you were with him?" I asked.**

"**No, after I left. I'd gone to work and the call came in from the police station telling me that _someone_ had trashed a room here. I didn't even think it would be this one, but…"**

"**You checked it out and he was already gone?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah, that about -"**

"**Hey, what're you doin' here?"**

**I gasped at the unexpected voice and turned around. A middle-aged white man with a scraggly beard stood in the open doorway. He had a bruise on the left side of his face above his eye.**

"**I work for the paper," Cassie said. "I'm working on a story about what happened."**

"**The guy was nuts," the older guy said. "There's your story."**

"**Did he do that to you?" I gestured to his bruise.**

"**Yeah, he did. On his way out. I got a few complaints about noise - things hittin' the wall and such - and I came out to tell him to quiet down. He popped me one and left."**

**Dean and I glanced at each other and I could tell we were thinking the same thing: Sam wouldn't do this. Something was very wrong.**

**------------- -**

**For two days we stayed in Missouri even though there was no need to. Dean was driving himself crazy with worry, and I mean, I got it, because Sam was gone. We didn't know where he was, or why he'd left.**

**Dean had barely slept and it was starting to affect his coordination. I was seriously considering slipping something into his drink to make him sleep, but Dean would probably hate me for it.**

**Cassie and I had gotten along pretty well, and if she was still caught up with Dean she didn't show it. That was a good thing because if she'd seemed interested then it would've made things awkward. And Dean would've been caught in the middle…not a comfortable place to be.**

**Anyway, it was the third morning in Missouri that Dean woke me up by jostling the bed.**

"**Hey, get up," he said softly, but urgently. "Sam called."**

**And if you ever wanna wake someone up quickly, telling them you've heard from someone who's missing will get the job done. Definitely. It's very effective.**

"**Is he okay? Where is he?"**

"**Twin Lakes, Iowa," Dean said. "And I don't know if he's okay."**

**I got up from the bed. I'd slept in my clothes just in case. I'd learned the other night that anything could come up when you least expect it, so best to be prepared.**

**But at least it was daylight this time.**

**------------- -**

**When we got out to the car I asked for the keys and Dean replied with a very intelligent, "what?"**

"**The keys," I repeated. "Dean, you didn't sleep very well, I can tell. And I won't thank you for wrecking while I'm in the car with you."**

**It was true that he didn't look well-rested. He had dark circles around his eyes, and his movements were sluggish and sporadic.**

"**Hey, I'm an excellent driver."**

**I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whatever, Rain Man. Give me the keys."**

"**You have a terrible sense of direction," he complained.**

"**Yeah, I do. However, I also have the common sense to _follow the signs_." I sighed semi-impatiently. "Dean, what if he's in trouble? You're not gonna be able to help him if you're falling over from exhaustion. Right?"**

**So, yeah, Dean gave me the keys, and he got in the passenger side - even if it was reluctantly.**

**Ten minutes into the drive, it became obvious that Dean had no intention of sleeping, so the point of me driving seemed void now.**

"**So, if you talked to him how do you not know if he's okay?"**

"**Well, he's okay enough to talk," Dean said. "It's just he seemed really panicked and out of it."**

"**Why?"**

"**I don't know. But he was…freaking out. He was scared."**

"**Did he say why he left?"**

"**No. I just told him not to move, and we'd be there as soon as we could."**

"**Oh."**

**Well, I just hoped Sam had a good reason for keeping us on edge for four-and-a-half days, because if he didn't I was gonna smack him. After I hugged him and told him how glad I was he was okay.**

**------------- -**

**Three hours later, we arrived in Twin Lakes, and now I didn't know where to go. Dean hadn't told me where Sam was, here.**

**And Dean had eventually drifted off to sleep, and now I was loathe to wake him, but I needed to know where to go.**

"**Dean?" Nothing. "Dean?" And again nothing.**

**When I came to a stop sign, I - well - stopped. I looked over at Dean and saw that at least he was in a comfortable position so he wouldn't have a crick in his neck like I had the other day.**

**I reached over and shook him a little. "Hey, you've gotta tell me where to go."**

**It took a few more pokes and prods to get Dean to wake up fully, which made me feel even worse for having to be the one to do it.**

**Dean didn't know exactly where to go, either, he just knew the name of the motel. So we went from there.**

**We ended up at a motel in the middle of town, which was a good place for it. It was the prettiest part of the small town.**

**Inside, Dean and I went straight for where Sam had said he was. On the way, I came to a complete stop and looked around. I was having one of my feelings.**

"**Dean, wait." Dean looked back at me, questioning. "I - uh…something's here."**

"**Something?" He had a 'like what' tone to his voice.**

"**I don't know what." I could never tell what kind of 'something' was around, I could just sense when the non-human weird things were around.**

**So we began to hurry, the feeling getting stronger as we neared the room number Sam had given Dean over the phone.**

**When we got to the door, Dean knocked. "Sam? It's me."**

**No one opened the door, but that didn't matter because it wasn't locked. And thanks to my spider-sense tingling, I was prepared to find the worst inside the room - like Sam dead with a demon standing above him.**

**But we didn't.**

**Sam was on the bed sitting up and not moving, but he wasn't dead, so that was a plus. But he did seem out of it, like Dean had said he'd sounded.**

"**Sam?" I said, closing the door and moving forward. There was blood on his hands and shirt.**

**Dean moved from the door to squat in front of Sam. "What happened?"**

"**I tried to wash it off," Sam muttered. "I don't think it's mine."**

"**Whose is it?"**

"**I don't know." Sam looked up at me and then back at Dean. "I don't remember anything."**

**And that would've been funny except for the fact that, ya know, it really wasn't.**

"**Did you hit your head?" I asked, which was stupid because he didn't remember anything.**

"**I don't know - I…My head doesn't hurt right now."**

**Dean stood up straight and sighed. I looked around the room, but nothing seemed weird about it even though I still felt the chills. So that meant either there was something invisible here, or that Sam was the one making my weirdar go off.**

**But that just wasn't possible because Sam wasn't acting weird. Or, ya know, evil.**

"**Are you here alone?" I asked.**

"**Yeah, why?" Sam looked at me with sad, lost eyes. He was freaked out, so…nothing was wrong with him _except_ that he was freaked out.**

"**Oh, uh-" Dean caught my gaze and his eyes said 'no'. "Nothing."**

**I went toward the bathroom just to see if I could feel something other than what I already was, but nothing.**

"**Hey, uh, I'm gonna go to the front desk, see if they saw anything," Dean said, coming in the bathroom behind me. "Watch him?"**

"**Yeah, sure," I said.**

**After Dean left, I went out and sat beside Sam, and I tried to move his hair from his eyes but he flinched away from me.**

"**What's the matter?"**

"**I don't remember anything," he said. "I could've hurt somebody."**

"**Sam, no…you just -" I broke off because I didn't know what to say because I didn't know what he'd done while he was away. "Do you remember goin' to New York?"**

**Sam shook his head. "Why would I go there?"**

"**Sarah, maybe? You left your phone in a café near where she works."**

"**Oh. No, I don't remember. I didn't even notice my phone was gone until I called Dean."**

"**Hm. Dean has your phone," I said softly. "He'll give it to you when he gets back." I sighed heavily. "And, uh…what about Missouri? You ran into Cassie and trashed the room you were stayin' in."**

"**I'm sorry. I-I don't remember that, either."**

"**It's okay. Not your fault. What _do_ you remember?" I wasn't prodding; I was gently nudging. "The last thing."**

"**Uh, Maryland…I couldn't sleep so I went out for a drink." He shrugged half-heartedly. "That's it."**

"**Oh. Okay." That was not surprising, but it _was_ disappointing.**

"**I don't know what's happening to me." He sounded close to the breaking point, and I didn't know what to do or say to make him feel better.**

**So I waited for Dean to come back. When he did, the only thing he said was that Sam had checked in here two days ago, the room had been quiet, and nobody had noticed anything unusual.**

**Dean had gotten Sam's stuff out of the car and now Sam was in the bathroom, changing.**

"**I don't understand," I said, hopefully quietly enough that Sam couldn't hear. "He had blood on his clothing and it wasn't his. I wonder what happened to him."**

"**I don't know. But he's okay, and-and that's what matters. Everything else we can deal with."**

**I laughed a little, but there was no humor in it. "He feels funny, Dean. And he has four days he can't account for, and then the blood. Don't forget the blood."**

"**Alyson," he said. His tone was saying for me to shut up, please, and he wouldn't forget the blood. How could he?**

"**What do you mean I feel funny?"**

**Sam had obviously been listening, and that wasn't good.**

"**Sam -" Dean began, but Sam cut him off.**

"**No. What does that mean?" His eyes were on me.**

"**Sam, you're giving me the chills," I said bluntly. "And not the good kind."**

"**What does that mean?" Sam asked frantically. "Am I - am I evil? I mean, is this what Dad warned you about?"**

**That last part had been directed at Dean, and Dean seemed to be…sincerely uncomfortable…about answering that question.**

"**Look, we don't know what happened," Dean said. "We've just gotta treat this like any other job. What's the last thing you remember?"**

**His answer was the same as it had been when I'd asked. Only this time he added, "next thing I knew, I was sitting here - bloody. Felt like I'd been asleep for a month."**

"**Okay. Retrace your steps," Dean said, sitting down on the other bed - there were two, and Dean was sitting on the one Sam hadn't been on. "The manager said you left yesterday afternoon and never saw you come back."**

**And, the obvious way he got in was…the window, which had even more blood on it. It had the vague shape of a handprint.**

"**What the hell have you been _doing_?" I asked, even though I knew Sam couldn't answer.**

"**Don't I wish I had the answer to _that_ question?" Sam said.**

**Well, if he did that would've simpled things up so much. But our lives were hardly ever that easy.**

* * *

Anyway, let me know what you guys think, like always. Oh, and I was totally going to update yesterday, but my stupid computer was on the fritz and it didn't want to let me get online, so I had to wait.


	38. Born Under a Bad Sign Pt Two

**Kari10: You check twice a day? Wow, that's awesome and flattering! I'm glad you like Alyson/Dean because to be honest...I didn't know if people would like them together when I wrote it like that. I mean, ya know, since she's a 'good' girl. But yeah, you're right, Dean 'does' need someone like her. Thanks for reviewing.**

**Supernatural-Stalker: AHHH!!! You've gotta watch the first three seasons. LOL. On the other hand though...you don't know what's gonna happen before you read it. Right?**

**Warning: Um...there's a form of non-con in this chapter, so if that offends you then just skip over that part.**

**Born Under a Bad Sign  
Part Two**

**Playing 'retrace Sam's steps' wasn't that hard seeing as to how it led us to a storage unit right outside the motel. He'd said it felt _familiar_ so we'd checked it out.**

**And we hadn't even had to pick the lock because Sam had a key. In the storage place was a blue Volkswagen Beetle. It was kinda dirty, like he'd been driving in the mud.**

"**Oh, please tell me you didn't steal _this_," Dean said.**

**Sam didn't say anything, but I could tell he was thinking exactly that.**

**We checked the car out and found even more out-of-it things. Things that didn't match with Sam's personality. Things like cigarettes and a bloody knife in the backseat.**

**Sam picked the knife up and stared at it. "You think I used this on someone?"**

"**I'm not thinkin' anything," Dean said, shaking his head.**

"**Well, I am," I said. "Just for the record."**

**Sam looked over at me. "You think I hurt someone, don't you?"**

"**I didn't say _that_. But either you used the knife or someone wanted you to think you did. But the blood doesn't have to be human, right? Other things have blood that's red."**

**Sam did not look reassured. In fact, he looked even more worried. He sighed and then used his jacket to wipe the prints off of the knife.**

**He tossed the knife back into the backseat and then cocked his head to the side before picking something up off the floor.**

"**What's that?"**

"**Gas receipt. Few towns over."**

**------------- -**

**The Tasty Express was the name of the gas station, and it was where we were headed now.**

**Sam had asked me a couple times already whether I was okay and I'd told him 'yeah' each time. It was true, for the most part. I mean, I had the chills, but it wasn't too bad. I didn't know if it was because I'd finally gotten used to it or because of something else, but I wasn't getting weak from them.**

**The only thing that bothered me was that the feelings were coming from Sam, and last time I'd checked, Sam was human and _not_ evil. And he wasn't acting any different, he just felt weird.**

"**You gettin' any goosebumps yet?" Dean asked. "Any God-this-looks-familiar déjà vu vibes?"**

**Sam shook his head. "No, nothin'."**

**This did not bode well for Sam. This whole not-remembering-anything thing was weird and it made me feel uneasy. Sam could've done anything while he was…doing whatever he was doing that he couldn't remember.**

**About two minutes later we pulled into the gas station where the receipt had come from and we went inside. It was just a regular gas station, nothing special about it.**

**There was a cashier behind the counter. He wasn't wearing a uniform or anything, but he worked here nonetheless.**

**When the door opened it _ding_ed and he looked up. He glanced at Sam and his eyes widened. "You, outta here, now! I'm callin' the cops."**

"**You talkin' to him?" Dean asked, surprised.**

"**Yeah, I'm talking to him. Jerk comes in yesterday, stinkin' drunk, grabs a forty from the fridge, starts chuggin'."**

**I looked at Sam, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. He obviously didn't remember _this_, either.**

"**You're drinkin' malt liquor?" Dean asked Sam.**

**The cashier-guy scoffed. "Not after he whipped the bottle at my friggin' head."**

"**_This_ guy?"**

"**W-what, am I speaking Urdu?"**

"**Look," Sam began, "I'm really sorry if I did anything -"**

"**You know what? Tell your story walkin', pal. Okay? Popo'll be here in five." **

"**Okay, wait, he's leaving," Dean said. "Put the phone down. Sam, go wait in the car."**

"**Dean -"**

"**Go wait in the car!"**

**Sam glanced at the cashier, who was still glaring at him, and then turned to leave.**

**As for me? I was internally freaking out. Okay, because: 1) Sam does not smoke, and he hardly ever got, ya know, drunk-faced… 2) Sam was gentle-natured; he didn't throw bottles at people and didn't hurt them unless he had to.**

**Anyway, the dude behind the counter put the phone back down, and Dean began talking.**

"**Okay, look, I just wanna talk to you, that's it, okay?" The guy was still glaring. "Now, when he took off yesterday, which way did he go?"**

"**Why don't you ask him?"**

"**Cause I'm askin' you," Dean replied simply. "Now, please, you'd be doing me a huge favor, okay?"**

"**Oh, do you a favor? Well, that _is_ what I live for." the guy said.**

**And, ya know, this was getting us nowhere, so without even thinking I reached out and punched him. Not too hard, but hard enough to make his nose bleed.**

**The guy grabbed his nose with both hands. "Ow! What, are you crazy?"**

"**No," I said firmly. "As a matter of fact, I'm very sane. But that guy that's with us, he has a memory problem, and we need _your_ help to figure out where he went. So, are you gonna help us or do you want me to hit you again?" Because I would've loved to hit him again. He annoyed me…a lot.**

"**Ya know, your buddy didn't pay for the booze or the smokes, which he illegally lit up."**

"**We don't care what he did, we just wanna know where he went."**

**The guy glared, still holding his nose. "He went north on Route 71, straight out of town."**

"**Thank you," I said maybe a little less than politely. I turned to leave and Dean fell in behind me. We passed by an old man who sorta looked like he thought I was gonna hit him too. It made me feel bad for maybe a second, but then I focused on the fact that we got the information we needed, and the guilt went away.**

"**Well, that's one way to get things done," he said, and if he hadn't been so worried he probably would've been grinning.**

"**Yeah, I guess. He was annoying, wasn't he?"**

"**Just a little bit."**

**------------- -**

**It was getting pretty late now, and I was kinda hungry, Dean - well - he was always hungry, and Sam couldn't remember the last time he ate. So we stopped at some place to eat. It wasn't a diner-diner. It was more a buffet thing. That was more my idea because - Dean scoffed at this - we didn't eat enough vegetables, and it wasn't good for us.**

**But my worries were ever so politely ignored, and Dean ate more meat than anything else - and dessert. You can't forget dessert. Dean had quite the sweet tooth.**

**It was actually in the middle of Dean's dessert that I just rolled my eyes and decided to just go with it. Dean had been in charge of his own eating habits for a while now, and he was still healthy, so, ya know, I let him eat whatever he wanted.**

**Anyway, Sam stood up and grabbed his empty drink glass, and started to walk away, but I stopped him. "Hey, can you get me some more tea?"**

"**Yeah, sure," he said, grabbing my glass, too.**

**This was the type of place that gave you your drink when you came in, and then you could refill whenever you wanted at the machine.**

**I sighed a little and pushed my plate away. I wasn't all that hungry anymore. I'd had my meal and a salad, so I was good to go. I wasn't a bottomless pit like Dean.**

"**Do you think he's okay?" Dean asked after Sam was out of earshot.**

"**I dunno," I said honestly. "But he still feels weird."**

**I looked over at Dean and instantly knew I couldn't say what I really wanted to. That we may just have to get used to the idea that Sam was different - even though he was acting normal - and that things wouldn't be the same anymore.**

**------------- -**

**An hour later, we were parked in front of some house - a very nice house, actually, with a wrap around porch - in the middle of the woods. Sam had told us to go down an unmarked road and it had led to the house we were now parked in front of.**

**We got out of the car and went to the front door. The porch light came on automatically.**

"**Whoever lives here, I'd say they don't like surprises," Sam said.**

**The windows beside the door were shattered, but the glass was on the ground outside. That meant the window had been shattered outwards; someone had done it from inside, which was weird since whoever had done it could've used the door.**

**When we got inside we found that the house was a mess. Pictures on the walls were crooked, chairs were missing legs, china dishes were crashed on the floor, cabinets had doors that were barely hanging onto their hinges. Like I said…a mess.**

"**Remind you of anything?" I said to Dean. He looked at me and nodded once.**

"**What?" Sam asked.**

"**The motel in Missouri," I specified. I'd told him about that earlier.**

**The first room we came to was an office of some kind. There were deer heads hanging on the walls, but more importantly, there was a dead body on the floor.**

"**Oh, God." The stench of blood reached my nose and I covered it with my shirt.**

**Sam flipped the light on, and Dean bent to roll the guy over. The entire right side of his face has covered in blood. The guy's throat had been slashed.**

**There seemed to be blood everywhere, and it must have been here for a while because it had already turned black.**

"**Dean, I did this," Sam said.**

"**We don't know that," Dean denied.**

**Sam began listing off reasons why he was sure he'd done this, and I began looking around the room.**

"**What else do you need? I mean, how else do you explain the car, the knife, the blood?"**

"**I don't know," Dean raised his voice. "Why don't you tell me?"**

**I went over to the desk and began to rummage through the drawers. There were a few letters from his daughter, who was in college, I assumed, because she was thinking him for care packages. And his name was Steve Wandel.**

"**Look, even if you did do this, I'm sure you had a reason," Dean said desperately. "Ya know, self-defense, he was a bad son of a bitch, somethin'."**

**I sat down at the desk in front of the computer and rubbed my hands over my face. I felt tired and weak; being around Sam was beginning to wear on me. I tried to shake it off and I began going through the dead guy's - Steve's - files. The ones that weren't locked anyway.**

"**I need your lock-pick," I heard Sam say, and I looked up. Sam was standing in front of two doors.**

**I saw something red blinking out of the corner of my eye, and looked toward it. It was a security camera.**

"**Um, guys? We've got another problem."**

**I gestured toward the camera and Dean said, "crap."**

**Sam finally got the doors open and we found a boatload of guns, along with maps and other research. It looked like the guy had been searching out supernatural hotspots.**

"**Dean, I think I killed a hunter."**

**I yawned and Dean glanced at me, and I yawned again.**

**Anyway, the security camera was connected to the computer somehow, and we were able to get feedback on the monitor. The security footage showed Sam coming into the office, attacking the man, making him fall to the floor. Sam then dragged Steve near the gun closet and took out a knife, slitting the man's throat. The man's body went lax on the floor.**

**We paused the stupid footage and we were pretty much shocked in a very bad way.**

"**I killed him," Sam said, lost. "I just broke in and killed him."**

"**Sam, we don't know everything," I said. "He could've been evil or something. The only thing we know for sure is what we saw."**

"**That I killed him? He was human, what else matters?"**

"**How do you erase this?" Dean asked, pointing to the computer.**

"**Dean -"**

"**Listen to me. Whoever this guy is, he's a hunter. Which means that other hunters are gonna come lookin' for his killer, which means we've gotta cover our tracks, okay?"**

"**His name's Steve Wandel," I put in. "And you can take the thing outta the back and all the files will be gone."**

"**Yeah, ya know, I don't really have time for that."**

**Dean grabbed the hard drive and threw it one the ground, stomping it to pieces.**

**------------- -**

"**A'right, we get a couple hours of sleep, then we put this place in our rearview mirror."**

**We were in the car, headed back to the motel we'd found Sam in earlier. Sam hadn't said anything since Dean had destroyed the hard drive in Steve's office. It's like he was in shock - which, yeah, he probably was because he'd just seen himself kill someone. And it had looked like he'd had fun while he was killing the guy. Which was the scariest part of all this.**

"**Look, I know this is bad, okay?" Dean said, looking at Sam briefly. "But you've gotta snap out of it." Sam remained silent. "Sam, say something!"**

"**What do you want him to say?" I snapped. "He killed someone, Dean. We all saw it, so there's nothing else _to_ say."**

**And I knew I was being bitchy but I didn't care at this point. I was tired, dizzy, and weak, and I'd just seen Sam kill someone - a someone that had been a hunter. So I was justified to feel that way, in my opinion.**

"**What happened to 'we don't know everything'?" Dean asked desperately. "_You_ said that."**

"**Yeah, and we _don't_ know everything, but it doesn't change the fact that someone is dead because of -"**

"**Because of me," Sam finished my sentence. "Because I murdered him."**

**That was the first thing he'd said since we'd left the office, and he sounded broken. I mean, I got it. I'd killed someone before. Of course, this was totally different because _I _hadn't meant to kill the guy _I'd_ killed, and Sam - well - Sam had, if the security footage was to be trusted.**

"**I _murdered_ someone," Sam said. "That's what I did."**

"**Maybe," Dean said, barely hanging by a thread. "It could've been a shapeshifter."**

"**Oh, come on, you know it wasn't, you saw the tape. There was no eye flare, no distortion."**

"**But it wasn't you. All right? I mean, yeah, it might've been…you, but it wasn't _you_."**

"**Well, I think it was. I think maybe more than you know."**

"**What the hell does that mean?" Dean asked.**

**Sam took a deep breath before he started speaking. It was like he maybe didn't wanna say this at all. "For the last few weeks, I've been havin'…I've been havin' these feelings." **

"**Feelings?" Dean and I said in unison.**

"**Rage," Sam said softly. "Hate. And I can't stop it. Day by day, it gets worse."**

"**You never told me this," Dean said, concerned.**

"**I didn't wanna scare you."**

"**Sam," I said, leaning up onto the front seat, "the last time you were with us, you didn't send out any vibes, but now you are. Something must've changed. So are you sure you don't remember anything?"**

"**No," he said. "I can't remember anything."**

**I sighed and sat back in the seat. I grabbed at my head; it felt like it was spinning. It was different than my usual supernatural-induced spells. This felt sorta…drug-induced, which was impossible because I hadn't taken anything.**

"**Guys, I-I don't feel so good. My head feels like it's doin' 360's."**

"**It's because you're near me, isn't it?" Sam asked, sounding apologetic.**

"**I don't know, it feels different."**

"**Well, we're almost at the motel. Do you think you'll be okay 'til then?"**

"**Maybe."**

"**Well, let me know if you're gonna hurl so I can pull over," Dean said.**

**I laughed a little. "Your concern is inspiring. Thank you."**

**------------- -**

**I did make it to the motel, but Dean had to carry me to the room. My legs didn't seem to want to work - I had tried getting out of the car, and had almost fallen flat on my butt, but Dean had caught me.**

**In the room, Dean placed me on the bed, and he was gonna sit beside me, but Sam started talking.**

"**Dean, the Yellow-Eyed Demon, you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too."**

"**No one can control you but you," Dean said.**

"**What he said," I put in weakly.**

"**It sure doesn't seem like that. It feels like no matter what I do, slowly but surely, I'm just becoming who I'm meant to be." Sam and Dean were standing in front of each other. "I mean, you said it once yourself, Dean. I've gotta face up to who I am."**

"**I didn't mean this!" Dean yelled.**

"**But it's still true! You know that. Dad knew that too! That's why he told you if it ever came to this -"**

"**Shut up, Sam," Dean interrupted.**

**Throughout this whole conversation, I got even more dizzy and blurry-eyed. I was seeing two of each of them. This couldn't be good.**

"**Dean, you promised him. You promised _me_."**

**Dean scoffed like he couldn't believe Sam was bringing _that_ up _now_. "No," he said simply and sadly. "Listen to me. We're gonna figure this out, okay? I mean, there's gotta be a way, right?"**

"**Yeah, there is." And I didn't know exactly how Sam got the gun because I wasn't really paying attention, but he _did_ get a gun, and he handed it to Dean. "I don't wanna hurt anyone else. I don't wanna hurt you."**

"**You won't," Dean said. "Whatever this is…you can fight it."**

"**No, I can't. Not forever."**

**I was hearing this as if from a distance, and things were now fading quickly. The lights seemed to be dimming, and the images - all four of them - of Sam and Dean were growing hazy.**

"**Here, you gotta do it," Sam said, and that was the last thing I was aware of. It was lights out for me.**

**------------- -**

**When I came to I realized a few things. One being that I was tied up - or my hands were, anyway - and I couldn't move; my limbs felt heavy. Two, I was either on the floor or something equally as hard. Three, it was almost completely dark; I could barely see six inches in front of me.**

**My mouth wasn't bound, which struck me as weird. Maybe we were in the middle of nowhere and nobody would hear me if I screamed. Or maybe, hopefully, it was only because I'd been unconscious.**

**Something was here with me - it made me feel like Sam had earlier, so maybe it was him. But Sam wasn't my biggest concern right now. Dean was. What if Sam had had another episode, and had hurt Dean?**

"**Dean?" I whispered, and then cursed myself because I'd been asleep or unconscious - whatever - and now whatever was with me would know I was awake.**

**Anyway, Dean didn't answer; Sam did. "Dean's not here." He sounded snarky, biting. "But don't worry, he's not dead. Not yet, anyway."**

**I swallowed nervously. That didn't sound good. At all. And I didn't like the fact that I could hear Sam but not see him.**

**I tried moving, tried just to see if I could, but it was no use. My hands were tied behind my back and they wouldn't budge when I tried struggling against the rope that was binding my hands together.**

**I was laying on my side, and my shoulder was positioned at an odd angle, making it uncomfortable to lay on. But I only had two ways to go, and that was on my back or on my stomach.**

**If I laid on my stomach, it would make me even more vulnerable, and I wasn't loving that idea. But if I laid on my back, it would put pressure on my wrists, which would be even more uncomfortable than the pressure on my shoulder.**

"**What'd you do to Dean?"**

"**He's not dead. Isn't that all that matters?"**

**Suddenly a flashlight turned on and I realized Sam was right in front of me - well, above me -, sitting on a coffin-shaped thing. I was on the ground and I had to look up to see him. I couldn't see much of the rest of my surroundings, however.**

"**Where am I?" I asked, practically whispering. I was beginning to panic.**

"**Here with me." He smiled, almost smirked.**

"**Where's here?"**

"**Oh, just an old mausoleum in the middle of nowhere."**

**He sounded smug, like he figured I was stuck here, and if I was being completely honest with myself, I thought that too. There was no way I was getting out of here by myself.**

**I mean, for one, my hands were tied behind my back, but even if they hadn't been, Sam could easily overpower me physically. Two, I was slightly disoriented from whatever he'd drugged me with - I was sure he'd drugged me somehow, probably when he'd gotten my drink over dinner. I was kind of weak and shaky, too, but I didn't know if that was from the drug or from being around Sam for so long. Or maybe it was the fear, because fear was definitely becoming an issue.**

**I felt tears sting my eyes; I was helpless and I hated it.**

"**Oh, don't cry," I heard Sam say mockingly. "We can have fun together. You don't have to be afraid."**

**I glared as best as I could through misted eyes, and I clenched my jaw to keep from letting a sob out. I didn't know if Dean was okay - really okay - or where he was. Sam was different - bad different. And I was unable to do anything.**

**Sam hopped off the coffin and squatted down beside me.**

"**Ya know, Dean will get here soon," he said softly. "For me and for you…and we're just gonna wait for him here."**

**He sat me up and the pressure from laying on my shoulder eased. I breathed a sigh of relief.**

"**I wonder what he'll find…" he trailed of deviously.**

"**Why are you doing this?"**

"**To see how far I can push Dean before he'll kill Sam." His eyes flickered to black for a second and I widened my eyes in realization. He was a demon - I mean, a demon was possessing him. "And I think hurting you…will do the trick."**

**Actually, it wouldn't. Sam was Dean's priority, and I knew that. I'd accepted that from the moment I'd realized I was in love with him. It didn't mean Dean loved me any less, but that's just the way it was.**

"**Dean's not stupid," I said, even though I thought we'd both been a little dumb not to think of possession first. "You have to know that he'll figure out that you're not Sam."**

"**He hasn't yet," demon-Sam said. "But maybe you're right. But who cares?" He shrugged. "It's still fun to try."**

**He brought his hand up to my face and stroked my cheek. I wanted to move away, but there was nowhere to go. His hand traveled down my neck to the top of my shirt, playing with it and, again, I couldn't move.**

**He was looking at my face, probably wondering whether I'd try to do anything. What was I supposed to do? Try and head-butt him? How do you head-butt someone who is towering over you on their knees?**

"**I wonder how he'll react when he finds out about what I'm going to do to you."**

**And now I was freaking out. I knew what was gonna happen if I didn't think of something soon, or if Dean didn't show up.**

"**He'll always know that I got there first," he whispered in my ear before grabbing my hair and yanking my head back.**

"**Sam, I said desperately, "I know you're in there. Please…fight it. Don't let it do this to me. You're stronger than it." Of course, I didn't know if that last part was true…but John had fought off the Yellow-Eyed Demon when it had been possessing him.**

"**Sam _is_ in here," the demon said. "And he's pissed, if that's any consolation."**

**It wasn't…but that didn't matter because Sam's lips were on my neck now, nipping and sucking. He was slowly making his way to my lips, which I clamped shut.**

"**Open your mouth," he demanded, tightening his grip on my hair. But I shook my head, wincing from the pain. "Fine."**

**He attacked my mouth, and I started struggling against him, but that didn't help any - he was straddling my legs now and they'd felt heavy enough before, and I couldn't move them. I felt him bite my lower lip hard, tugging on it. I could taste my own blood now and I did open my mouth, a silent scream of pain escaping along the way.**

**His tongue shoved into my mouth and the bad thing was, I had been sure I'd be able to taste sulfur or something that would remind me that this was a demon, but no. There was nothing.**

**I heard a moan of appreciation and it kicked me into gear. I brought my teeth down on his tongue. Hard enough to break skin, I was sure.**

**I was sorry if Sam had felt any pain, but I'd had to do something.**

**He pulled away and wiped his mouth before glaring at me. "You stupid little bitch." He moved closer. "I was being nice to you, wasn't I?" He smirked cruelly. "Or maybe you just wanna put that pretty little mouth of yours to better use. Dean won't get here for a while, and demons…well, we can go at it forever."**

**He got off, grabbed me by my shoulders and positioned me on my knees, which somehow didn't give out on me. The demon made it so that he could lean against the coffin he'd been on earlier. Then he was unzipping his jeans and lowering them and his boxers down slightly enough for his cock to spring out.**

**I turned my head away because oh, my God, this _wasn't_ happening. This was a nightmare. I was gonna wake up anytime now.**

**Only I didn't…wake up, that is.**

"**I don't know why you're bein' so shy. You've done this for Dean, you must've."**

"**No, I _haven't_," I spat out. And it was true. I'd never tried, and Dean had never asked me to.**

"**Oh well," Sam -no, the demon - said, taking that in stride. "There's a first time for everything. Now…open up."**

**The way he sounded, it made it seem like this was just some awful cough syrup that I needed to take. But it was so much more.**

**He grabbed my chin, forcing my mouth open and then…then he forced my mouth around him, and I couldn't bite him, not here, not without seriously injuring Sam. And the demon knew that.**

**His hands were on the back of my head, holding me there. I had tears in my eyes again. More shame than fear this time.**

**His hardness forced its way further into my mouth, heading for the back, for my throat, and that wasn't good because I just knew I was gonna gag. I tried moving, getting away, and it would've worked if he hadn't had hold of my head. Not to mention, it was like some force was holding me there.**

**And the thing of it is, I couldn't think clearly. I mean, you sometimes watch the news and hear about women getting abused and you think 'oh, that would never happen to me. I wouldn't _let_ it happen.' But you honestly don't know what you would do until it happens to you. Like now it was happening to me…and I couldn't think of a thing to do.**

**So I went still. I didn't help or hinder. I let him guide me where he wanted me. Let him bob my head up and down. Let him do what he wanted. What _it_ wanted. And I hated myself for it. I was a fighter, damn it. I wasn't just some doormat person who let people walk all over her, but that's exactly what I was doing here.**

**I started sobbing, which made it a little hard to breathe around him, and then he was moaning, and it tore me up inside because, _God_, it was Sam's voice. Sam, who was like a brother to me. Ya know, the big brother that every girl wants. A big brother who would protect you, be there for you, but let you go when you're ready. But now…this demon was gonna ruin that.**

**And there's no nicer way to put this…he was _fucking_ my mouth. I actually felt him jab the back of my throat each time he thrusted in, and my lip split on the side, mixing with saliva and precum. He started going faster, and if that meant what I thought it did, then he was impossibly close to his release. Which would be in my mouth…**

**I couldn't help it, I gagged. My throat convulsed and I guess the demon liked that because that's all it took for him to spend himself. I instinctively tried to close off my throat so I wouldn't swallow it. I mean, demon spunk can't be good for you. But it was no use, there was just too much. A lot of it spilled out down my chin and neck, but some of it went down my throat.**

**Something was wrong, though, and I didn't realize until he pulled out that it was that he was still hard. I guess the demon had meant what he'd said. He could go on forever, which didn't bode well for me.**

**I spit out what was left of the salty bitterness of Sam, and the coppery taste of my own blood, and then I was pushed onto my back. I heard and felt my left wrist snap, and I screamed from the pain. Okay, so my left wrist was useless for now.**

**Now that I wasn't being _sullied_, I could think again. I tried to call on that weird explosive power thing that I hadn't let my dad teach me how to control. I mean, I knew how to let go now; Dean had taught me that. But the problem was getting it to start.**

**I always thought it was tied to my emotions but, apparently, I'd been wrong because my emotions were all out of whack now and the power just wasn't coming.**

**Suddenly Sam was on top of me, hardness digging into my thigh. His hands were ripping at my shirt, and it gave way. My upper body was now bared to him - except for my breasts, they were still covered with a bra.**

**I saw the inhuman hunger in his eyes, and I tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but he was too heavy, and every time I moved pain shot through my arm, starting at the wrist going up to my elbow. I screamed again. Pain, fear, and everything else you could that of that was bad.**

"**Stop," I begged. "Please." It came out as a whisper, but I was still pleading. "Don't do this, please!"**

**His hand traveled down my body to my jeans, and he unsnapped and unzipped them. And then I felt his mouth near my breasts at the top of my bra. He licked and sucked, and then bit down hard enough to draw blood. I jerked beneath him, jarring my wrist again, which brought another scream from my lungs.**

**His head popped up and he said, "you know you can't fight me. You should just sit back and enjoy the ride."**

"**No!" I shouted as a denial and a refusal.**

**He began pushing my jeans and underwear down, and then he flipped me over. And now I _was_ fighting. God, I was fighting. I didn't want this. Not like this, and not with Sam, and especially not with a demon in Sam's body. And I could feel him _there_ and one little push would be all he would have to do to break me, to break everything I was. This, I knew, was something I would never recover from.**

**He grabbed onto my hips, again propping me up on my knees, and he was holding onto my head again, only this time it was to press my face against the ground. This was it, the moment that would change me forever. The moment I would hate myself for, for the rest of my life because I was _letting _this happen. Because I wasn't strong enough to fight anymore. So I did the next best thing: I shut myself off from what was going to happen.**

**Only…nothing happened - or not what I'd been expecting, anyway.**

**A door opened and suddenly there was enough light to see that we really were in a mausoleum. It looked more like a crypt, though. Something straight out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**

**Unfortunately, my face was not facing the door, so I couldn't see who or what had opened the door.**

"**Let her go," I heard someone say. And _thank God_, it was Dean. "Now."**

"**What're you gonna do if I don't? Kill me?" demon-Sam asked tauntingly.**

**I heard the cock of a gun and then Dean was saying, "just because I shoot you doesn't mean I'm gonna kill you."**

**Dean was gonna shoot him for _me_, which was sweet - in a really weird way - and just _wrong_ in another.**

"**Dean he's possessed," I said, hoping he could perform an exorcism without having to read from a book, because I couldn't - with or without the book - or I would've done it already.**

**Suddenly, Sam was off of me, pulling me in front of him, using me as a human shield, which was weird because the demon had said it'd wanted to see if he could make Dean kill Sam.**

"**You shoot me, you shoot her," demon-Sam taunted.**

**I saw Dean, now that I wasn't facedown on the floor, and he looked relatively okay considering I didn't know what demon-Sam had done to him.**

**Sam bent behind me, and then he had a gun too. He was pointing it at Dean, one hand holding the gun, one arm wrapped around my waist, holding me against him, and he was moving, pressing me against him.**

**I looked at the ground and closed my eyes tight. I didn't want to see Dean seeing me like this. It was shameful.**

**Suddenly, I heard a gunshot, but Sam was still holding onto me, so Dean must've been shot. My eyes snapped open and I looked up. Dean fell to the ground, dropping his gun.**

**I still couldn't move, but I tried anyway. I wanted to get to Dean, make sure he was okay, but my hands were still bound, and I still felt as if something _not physical_ was holding me there. It was like the air around me was thick, like a wall, and so I couldn't move.**

"**Dean," I whispered, again trying to move, and again being unsuccessful. Sam was still behind me, holding me tightly, thrusting against my back.**

**I felt something that felt strangely akin to hatred start boiling through me, and it wasn't because of what he - it- was doing to me. That scared me, humiliated me. But _this_ was because he'd hurt Dean. Dean was on the ground _not moving_ and I couldn't tell where he'd been shot of it he was even still alive.**

**And _that_ pissed me off. Wasn't that ironic? After all the demon had done to me directly, it took Dean getting hurt to make me angry.**

**I felt a wave of heat pass through me. It wasn't painful, but it was powerful, and it was radiating outwards. And suddenly Sam was no longer near me; it was like I'd thrown him off me.**

**I heard him hit the mausoleum wall and then there were footsteps running away. I'd apparently scared him off. Or I'd scared the demon, anyway.**

**Without Sam there to hold me up I fell flat on my stomach, facedown on the ground _again_. It took my breath away and I gasped in much needed oxygen.**

**That was when everything settled in. Dean was still on the ground and I had nothing to take my mind off of what had happened and what had _almost_ happened. I felt sick to my stomach and I had to swallow continuously to keep from vomiting.**

**I gritted my teeth and tried to get my wrists free without hurting my wrist further, which was virtually impossible. It made me whimper as a sharp pain shot up my arm, and I stopped moving, period.**

**I felt like just curling up into a ball and laying there until the problem went away, but I knew that wouldn't happen. The problem was I couldn't move very easily. My jeans were piled up around the middle of my calves, so it was hard to move my legs without getting tangled up.**

**Tears filled my eyes again, this time from frustration, and I didn't even try to control the sobs that wanted to come. I just let them flow. I was being loud and sorta messy, but really? I couldn't bring myself to care.**

**About a minute into my emotional breakdown Dean began to stir. He got up slowly - I heard him even if I couldn't move to see him. He moved towards me and squatted down beside me. I felt him untie my hands - I told him to be careful on my wrist - and then he moved back a little. He seemed like he didn't know whether he should help me or not…whether he should _touch_ me or not. So I made the decision for him and tried to help myself up. Tried being the keyword there.**

**I wasn't that successful, and then it became awkward. Dean grabbed one side of my jeans and underwear and I grabbed the other. Like I said…awkward.**

**After they were up around my waist, he helped me up - neither of us saying a word - and he buttoned and zipped them. And, I was shaky now. I felt like a druggie going through withdrawals, or maybe like a diabetic going through one of the episodes when they didn't get their insulin when they needed it.**

**My legs felt like they were about to give out on me, that was exactly what I thought was gonna happen if I tried to move.**

"**This is gonna sound stupid," Dean said, voice strained, "but are you okay?"**

**I hadn't looked at his face the whole time he'd been helping me - I'd been focused on the ground. I refused to meet his eyes, and I didn't answer because it was obvious that I was not okay on an epic scale.**

**I cupped my left wrist in my right hand and whispered, "it hurts."**

**I was still looking at the ground. I knew I looked a mess, a mixture of blood, saliva, and semen slowly making its way from my chin to my neck to my chest.**

"**Did he -" Dean started.**

**I knew what question he was going to ask so I interrupted him. "No," I said quickly. "You got here in time." My voice was hoarse and shaky. "You got here in time," I repeated.**

**I took a deep breath and then brought my right hand up to wipe away what was there and again I felt the need to empty my stomach. This time I didn't fight it, I fell to my knees and just heaved until there was nothing left.**

**And Dean was right there, holding my hair up, grunting in pain, which was what made me stop as quick as I could, and pull myself together. Dean had been shot, I remembered now. I looked up at him, checking him over. His shoulder was bleeding; that's where he'd been shot, apparently.**

"**I'm sorry," I whispered, standing up again. And I actually _could_ this time. "I'm sorry," I repeated, only stronger this time. "I couldn't do anything to stop him."**

**I made sure he knew what I was talking about. Made sure he saw the mess I had on me. I look of realization came over his face. He knew what I'd done…what I'd had to do.**

"**It is _not_ your fault," Dean said firmly. "None of this is."**

"**Yeah?" I said softly, not really believing it. I thought that there must've been _something_ I could've done differently. I just hadn't.**

**I tried pulling my shirt around me, but it didn't help much. Dean shrugged out of his jacket - it wasn't his leather one - and handed it to me with his good arm. I removed my ruined shirt and pulled his jacket on and he zipped it up since my left hand was pretty much useless.**

"**I…um…I used my power on him," I said quietly, not knowing how Dean would take that piece of information. "I threw him off. Got mad when he shot you…it triggered it, I guess."**

"**Oh." It was like Dean didn't know what to say other than that.**

"**You need to have your shoulder looked at," I said, wiping the mess off of me with my shirt that I'd pulled off.**

"**Yeah, the bullet is still lodged in there. I'll be fine once you get it out."**

**I winced mentally. I'd never done that before and I didn't wanna hurt him. But it was better than leaving the bullet in there, I guess. Not to mention, it would give me something other than the obvious to focus on.**

* * *

Okay, so, yeah...I'm kinda wondering if I did the right thing by going there with this because I'd told myself I wasn't going to, but then...it just sorta played out that way. So, as always, let me know what you think.


	39. Born Under a Bad Sign Pt Three

**Born Under A Bad Sign  
Part Three**

**As soon as I pulled myself together - which didn't take very long because I refused to focus on what had happened - we left the mausoleum. We needed to find a store where we could buy a first-aid kit, because as of now we didn't have one - demon-Sam had taken the Impala when he had kidnapped me, and he had it now, too.**

**Luckily, though, Dean had hotwired a car to come find us, and it was here at the cemetery. Trouble was neither of us felt like driving what with my wrist being broken, and Dean's shoulder had a bullet lodged inside. But we had to, and so Dean was the one to drive. I hoped he didn't pass out from blood loss because the bullet wound was still open. But his chances were better than mine because I didn't even know if I was _here_. I felt so…detached from everything.**

**It felt like what had happened _hadn't_. Or not to me, anyway. It felt like maybe I'd just watched it happen to someone else, if that made any sense at all. I didn't know if that was considered denial or if it was something else altogether, but that's the way I was feeling.**

**And to be honest, I hadn't even noticed I felt detached until we reached a store - I hadn't been aware the car had even been moving until we parked and became still.**

**That was when I realized - no…I wasn't _detached_. That wasn't a broad enough term. I was withdrawn, totally blocking everything out, and I was completely _numb_. _That_ was the word I'd been looking for. I wasn't feeling anything, or more precisely, I was refusing to feel anything. I knew that if I acknowledged my feelings I would be completely useless. I would probably cry and not stop, and that would make me - well - useless, as I'd said.**

**As it was, I'd been completely catatonic since we'd left the cemetery. I remembered getting into the car, and now we were in the store parking lot. Dean could've been shouting my name while he'd been driving, and I wouldn't have heard. That's how far into myself I'd retreated. But I was awake again.**

"**You gonna come in with me?" Dean's voice was gruff and strained and…sad? Maybe?**

**I didn't say anything; I just got out of the car and went with him, and again I must've retreated back into myself because I didn't remember getting the stuff, but the next time I became aware we were in the bathroom in the store - I wasn't even sure _which_ store we were in - sitting on the floor.**

**What had drawn me out was Dean grabbing my wrist. He hadn't hurt me, but I jerked back nonetheless. He'd been trying to put my wrist in a brace. Ironic, he had a hole in his shoulder and he was trying to make sure I was okay.**

**I saw hurt flash in his eyes - hurt and understanding. Understanding was the lesser of two evils.**

"**Sorry," I said softly, holding my wrist out for him to take again, and he gently got to work.**

"**It's okay," he said, catching my eye. "Just stay with me, okay? I need you here."**

"**Yeah, okay."**

**I tried to focus on what he was doing, but that didn't hold my interest for long. So I focused on the things he'd bought.**

**First-aid kit - that much was a given -, toothpaste, toothbrush, and shampoo. Anti-bacteria stuff for him. Oh, and some kind of alcohol, which he was now drinking while fixing my wrist.**

"**How long do you think it'll take for it to heal?" Dean asked.**

"**Huh?"**

"**You wrist," he specified.**

"**Oh. Uh, I dunno. My hand took a couple days…last time. It'll be fine." All of this was said in a monotone. My voice was emotionless, like I didn't care one way or the other whether my wrist healed or not.**

**When Dean put the metal clip things on the brace to hold it together I drew back and cradled it in my other arm. I looked at Dean's shoulder and sighed. It was my turn to play doctor. And it wasn't fun, either. I had to cut the sleeve of his shirt, and that made me realize how _bad_ he was bleeding.**

"**Oh, wow," I said, moving a little closer, pulling the first-aid kit towards me.**

**Dean handed me his pocket-knife. "You're gonna have to dig it out."**

"**Dean, I've never done this before. What if I just make it worse."**

"**You won't," he said more confidently than I felt.**

**Anyway, I sterilized it with his lighter and then grimaced as I put it near the entry-wound. The knife hovered there for a second while I thought about how intensely I _didn't_ want to do this. Because 1) I wasn't a doctor, and as I'd told Dean…I was liable to make it worse, 2) This was gonna seriously hurt Dean, and if I did something wrong I could injure him worse than he already was.**

**I bit my lip, putting my concerns behind me, and just did it.**

**Dean grunted and clenched his mouth shut, but I didn't stop. Best to be quick and get it over with. Better than going slow and prolonging the agony.**

**This wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. All I had to do was line the knife up right and I could pop the bullet right out.**

"**Sorry, sorry, sorry," I said quickly as I removed the knife, and the bullet fell to the floor. The worst part was the blood. He was bleeding even worse than he had been.**

**I patched him up as best as I could, but it looked like he might need stitches, which I could do for him if he really needed it, but we'd see.**

**------------- -**

**After Dean was patched up I opened the toothpaste and toothbrush he'd bought - or maybe I had, I couldn't remember. I couldn't even remember if anyone had noticed the state we were in or how Dean had handled it if someone had.**

**While brushing my teeth my mind flashed back to what had happened, and I felt sick to my stomach for what seemed like the millionth time that night.**

**I began brushing furiously and I felt as the bristles cut into my gums, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be clean.**

**My reflection looked awful in the mirror. I hadn't noticed before, but I had _stuff_ in my hair. So…Dean had bought the shampoo, because I hadn't even known how much of a mess I looked.**

"**God, I need a shower," I said out loud.**

**Dean didn't say anything, but I hadn't expected him to, so that was okay. And things were awkward between us now. Normally Dean could just hug my worries away, but that wasn't what I needed now. To be honest, I didn't know _what_ I needed. So if I didn't know, how was Dean supposed to?**

**Dean cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable, and said, "well, I tried calling Bobby in the car, and I didn't get an answer, so…"**

"**Bobby?"**

"**Yeah, to warn him about the demon."**

"**You think S -" I broke off before saying Sam's name. "S -" and again, I didn't say his name. "The _demon_. Do you think the demon will go after Bobby?"**

"**Well, it's been goin' after the nearest hunter and Bobby's the closest one that I know of."**

"**Oh. We - we should go," I said, beginning to go towards the door.**

"**Your hair," he reminded me gently.**

**Oh, right. It was hard for me to focus on pretty much anything now that Dean was bandaged up. Now that Dean was okay, I didn't _need_ to focus on anything and I found I liked it that way. If I didn't focus on my feelings, they didn't bother me as much, and I didn't have to deal with them.**

"**Do you need help?"**

**I looked at Dean. "With what?"**

"**Your hair," he said again, still being patient.**

"**Oh. No, I-I've got it."**

**I felt stupid, incompetent. And this was getting me nowhere, thinking about how low I was, so I stopped thinking.**

**------------- -**

**The next time I became aware again, we were in the car again. My hair was still wet so we couldn't have been too far from the store.**

"**My dad," I said. It was random; I hadn't even been thinking about him or…anything, really, but that's what I said.**

"**What about him?" Dean didn't seem surprised by my statement, but he did sound glad that I was talking and _here_.**

"**You said it was going after hunters."**

"**It's already taken care of. I called him before we even got to the store. He's in Virginia somewhere."**

"**Oh, good." I tried to withdraw again, but it wasn't mean to be.**

"**I'm sorry," Dean whispered.**

**And boy, was this not the time for _that_ conversation.**

"**Dean -"**

"**That he did that to you. I'm sorry."**

**My first instinct was to play it off as no big deal, but Dean would see right through that.**

"**Yeah, me too."**

**And now I was thinking about it, and I wasn't freaking out. I wasn't in shock, exactly, and I wasn't in denial. I was more in a state of disbelief.**

'**Why me?' kept running through my mind over and over again. I mean, I was basically a good person so _why_ had this happened to me? And I was a firm believer in things happening for a reason, but I couldn't find a reason for this.**

**And after all my talk about believing whatever happens was meant to happen…this shouldn't have been allowed to happen.**

"**What did I do?" I muttered, more to myself, but I knew Dean heard, and he knew what I was talking about.**

"**I don't think it was because of anything you did. This wasn't your fault." His hand twitched on the wheel like maybe he wanted to reach for me, but he didn't. "I told you that before."**

"**I just -" I broke off, not really wanting to talk about it. I knew Dean would understand that, and he'd respect it for now.**

**I didn't wanna talk about it because I felt…angry. Now that I was thinking about _it_ I was angry. At myself and the demon. I wasn't angry at Sam. This was in no way his fault, I knew that.**

**I was mad at myself because I'd let it happen. I knew for a fact if it had been anyone other than Sam - or Dean or Bobby, of course - I would've fought harder. I wouldn't have been scared of hurting him. I would've done _anything_ to stop him. I wouldn't have let that demon to that to me.**

**Worst of all, though, was _why_ it had done what it had. To get to Dean. It wanted revenge for something. And I could never tell Dean that because he would blame himself - more than he already did - and he'd probably try to push me away at best, and pretend he didn't care anymore, at worst.**

**And I wouldn't be able to accept that.**

**_This_? This I would be able to deal with. Eventually. I knew that even if I didn't believe it at the moment. I mean, I hadn't felt this lost and confused since my mom had died, but I'd moved past that, and in time, I'd get past this, too. It was just getting to that point that would be the hard part.**

**------------- -**

**When we got to Bobby's - in record time, might I add - I felt that the demon was already here, and I stopped on the porch steps.**

"**Dean, I…I can't go in there with you." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's in there. Or something is, anyway."**

"**You gonna be okay out here by yourself?"**

**Dean had this whole 'I feel sorry for you' tone in his voice, and it made me wanna lash out at him, but I didn't.**

"**Yeah, I'll be fine. Just come get me when you're done."**

"**Yeah," he said, looking like he wanted to reach out to me again, and again he didn't. "Okay."**

**And then he went inside, shutting the door behind him. At first, everything went smoothly. I was outside, not having to do anything but sit there. But then, about ten minutes later I heard Dean shout, "This isn't goin' like I pictured. What's goin' on, Bobby?"**

**And, of course, since I wasn't in there, I had no clue what he was talking about.**

"**It's a binding link. It's like a lock," and that was Bobby talking - well, screaming. "He's locked himself inside Sam's body!"**

"**What the hell do we do?"**

"**I don't know!"**

**I heard a _crack_, which didn't sound good at all, and then there were two thuds that sounded like maybe something had fallen or had been thrown or something to that effect.**

**And now I was torn. The scared little girl part of me was telling me to stay out here, telling me I was safer out here. But the practical adult part was saying the two thuds could have been Bobby and Dean, and they might need my help.**

**In the end, the adult won out. So I rushed inside and saw that, yes, they needed my help. Bobby was on the floor in the corner with his books. Dean, too, was on the floor, and demon-Sam was in front of him holding onto - digging into - his wounded shoulder.**

**The demon was telling Dean how worthless he was and how he wouldn't be able to save Sam.**

**The demon caught sight of me and its eyes flashed to black. I told myself not to panic as it twitched Sam's head in the direction of the wall.**

**I felt this force try to throw me back, only I didn't move. It hadn't worked. That was new. Demons had been able to do it before, and _this_ demon had held me in place just hours before.**

"**Well, isn't that interesting? You're getting stronger."**

**Funny, I didn't _feel_ stronger. I felt scared and weak and pathetic. But I moved forward, anyway, and then I caught sight of his arm. There was a circle with a line through it; that must have been the binding link Bobby'd been talking about.**

**I focused on Sam, and since he still had hold of Dean, visualized throwing him back and it worked. Sorta. He fell backwards, anyway, but it encouraged me to try again. Only this time it didn't work so well. Not really, anyway.**

"**Let me go," the demon said.**

**And when I said not really, I meant it hadn't exactly worked the way I'd wanted it to. I hadn't thrown him backwards. I had, however, made him not be able to move.**

**The next thing that happened was strange, even by my standards. Something clicked inside me and instinct took over, but I wasn't consciously aware of what I was doing, if that makes any sense at all.**

**I moved towards the demon, which was on its knees, and grabbed the arm with the symbol on it. And then?**

**Then my hand started to glow. That's right. Glow.**

**I felt heat pool in my hand and it radiated outward. The demon flinched, and I forced the heat toward the symbol, which my hand was covering. The demon screamed and then a long line of black smoke spewed out of Sam's mouth and headed for the fireplace.**

**And now I felt weak - like that glowy thing had drained my strength.**

**Sam began falling forward, knocking me down, and then I was pinned beneath him and, wow, I was freaking out.**

**I kept telling myself that this was Sam, not the demon, but it didn't matter. I couldn't breathe, I felt like everything was closing in on me, and Sam was on top of me, between my legs, and I couldn't move. And someone, please, help me!**

**Sam was unconscious, so he couldn't see of feel my panic, and I felt pain shoot through my wrist as I began pushing against him.**

**Then, thankfully, he was gone. Off of me. Dean and Bobby had moved him, and I was quickly finding out that I was completely losing my mind. I was crying so hard I wanted to laugh. I never believed that going into hysterics accomplished anything, and I still didn't, but that's what I was doing. Going hysterical.**

**I sat up, scooting away, but reaching for Dean at the same time. That surprised me - the whole wanting-Dean-to-hold-me part - but that's exactly what I wanted. And that's what I got.**

**It was like Dean had wanted to do this from the get-go. And now that I was holding onto him like there was no tomorrow, he knew what I needed, and knew he was the only one I'd accept it from, and so here he was.**

**His grip was loose, not entrapping. It was an 'I'm here but I'll let you go if you want me to' embrace. But I didn't want him to. This was the first time I'd felt safe since the mausoleum.**

"**I've got you," Dean whispered against my hair. "You're gonna be okay, I've got you."**

**I didn't let him go, but I looked up at him. He was bleeding; the demon had done a number on his face. His lip, his nose, and above his eye were wounded.**

"**The symbol's gone," Bobby said, and I felt bad because I'd forgotten he was here and that we were even in his house.**

"**What?" Dean said.**

"**The symbol's gone," Bobby repeated, and then I did let Dean go, and I moved just a little to look at Sam's arm.**

**The symbol _was_ gone, there wasn't even a scar. It was a little red - looked like a really bad sunburn in the form of a handprint - but other than that everything was normal.**

"**How'd you do that?" Dean asked. "More importantly, how'd you _know_ to do that?"**

"**I didn't," I said softly. "It just - it just felt like the right thing to do. I don't know why or where it came from. I wasn't trying to do it."**

**Sam began to stir, and I moved back to Dean. Sam sat up slowly and looked around oddly like he didn't know where he was or how he got here.**

"**What'd I miss?" he asked. He looked down at his arm and his eyes just about popped out of his head. "What the hell happened?"**

"**You don't remember?" Dean asked cautiously.**

"**Demon smoke, and heat, and now I'm here." He was still looking at his arm. "Why do I have a handprint on me?"**

"**Alyson pulled the demon out," Bobby said, sounding shocked. "We don't know how, but that's exactly what she did."**

"**Alyson?" And I could tell he remembered what he'd done, and I knew he was gonna apologize. I just didn't wanna hear it. I really didn't.**

"**Ya know, I'm, uh…I'm…I'll be right back."**

**I got up - a little unsteadily - and went toward the stairs and went up them.**

"**Bobby, where do you keep the Aloe Vera?" I shouted over my shoulder. "Do you even have Aloe Vera?"**

"**I'll get it," Bobby called back. "It's in the kitchen."**

**I continued going up the stairs trying to not freak out again, and, wow, it wasn't working. I made it to the top step and then pretty much collapsed.**

**I had wanted to go get something to clean Dean's wounds, it's just I couldn't go on. Everything had settled in now, and I just wanted to curl up and hide and sob everything out.**

**And so I collapsed, curling up against the wall. I wanted to call out for Dean, but on the other hand I didn't. I just wanted to be alone, and then again I didn't want to be by myself. I was messed up on the inside.**

**I started shaking and I just felt exhausted - mentally, physically, and emotionally.**

"**De -" my voice broke off and then I couldn't talk anymore. I tried, it just wouldn't come. It was like I'd lost the ability to, which made me freak out even more. I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I felt dizzy like all the blood had drained out of my face.**

"**Are you a'right, girl?"**

**It was Bobby. I hadn't heard him come up the stairs, but now that I heard his voice, it was easier to center myself and find my voice. It was the oddest thing.**

"**Bobby," I said. "I, uh…yeah, I-I'm good. Just…I'm fine."**

"**Uh-huh." He didn't push, but he didn't believe me. "What're you doin' up here?"**

"**Washrag. Dean's wounds."**

"**I've got a fist-aid kit downstairs. You can use that." I didn't get up. "Well, come on. I ain't as good as I once was, I can't carry ya."**

"**Sam is…"**

"**Pretty close to tears," Bobby finished for me. Bobby sat down beside me. "Look, between his guilt party and your hyperventilatin', it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened. But you can't blame Sam."**

"**I don't blame Sam," I said as firmly as possible. "But I don't wanna have to go through the awkward silences and the litany of apologies I know he's gonna tell me."**

"**Life ain't always fair, and people don't always get what they want," Bobby said quietly. "You're gonna have to face him sooner or later. Why not make it sooner? At least it'll be over with." He got back up. "Come down when you're ready."**

"**Bobby, wait." I grabbed onto his shirt sleeve. "I, uh…I _let_ him do those things to me. I barely even fought. I knew that if I did anything I would hurt Sam, too. So, you see, I let him."**

"**You think this is your fault?"**

"**I think I could've done something more than what I did."**

"**Did you want him to do whatever he did to you?"**

"**What? No."**

"**Did you like it?"**

"**No," I replied hesitantly, not really seeing where this was going.**

"**Did you say yes?"**

"**No."**

"**Then it wasn't your fault. No matter what you did or didn't do, it wasn't your fault. You didn't want it, you didn't ask for it, and you certainly didn't _deserve_ it. Bad crap happens to good people. That's just the way life is."**

**I heard a phone ring and looked past Bobby to where it was coming from. The kitchen. "You gonna get that?"**

"**You gonna be okay?" he asked instead of answering.**

"**Maybe. Eventually."**

"**Take baby steps," Bobby said. "And, again, come down when you're ready."**

**------------- -**

**I wasn't exactly _ready_ to go downstairs two minutes later, but I knew if I didn't go, Dean would eventually come looking for me. So I went anyway.**

**When I reached the guys, I saw they were both sitting at a desk. Sam was on one side, Dean was one the other. Dean was wiping the blood from his face, and Sam was putting Aloe Vera on his handprint burn.**

**I didn't say anything, I just took a deep breath and went forward, and took over what Dean had been doing.**

**And as for Sam…well, he was looking at his wound(?) and avoiding my gaze like the plague.**

"**How's your shoulder?" I asked Dean softly.**

"**Feels like I was shot," Dean quipped. "How're you?"**

**Sam looked up - still avoiding my gaze - on that one.**

"**I've been better," I replied honestly, and Sam looked down again. "But I'll live." I would probably have nightmares for while and randomly start crying at inappropriate times for a few days, but I would, however, survive.**

**Bobby chose that moment to walk in from the kitchen - he must've just gotten off the phone - with an ice pack, which he handed to Dean.**

"**Thanks."**

"**Yeah. You guys ever hear of a hunter named Steve Wandel?"**

**All three of us shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds until Dean said, "Why do you ask?"**

"**Just heard from a friend. Wandel's dead. Murdered in his own house. You wouldn't know anything about that?"**

**I could tell Bobby already knew the answer, but he was giving Sam an easy out.**

"**No, sir," Dean replied. "Never heard of the guy."**

"**Good," Bobby said. "Keep it that way." Bobby began moving around the room as he continued talking. "Wandel's buddies are lookin' for someone or something to string up, and they're not gonna slow down or listen to reason. You understand what I'm sayin'?"**

**Bobby stopped moving, picked up a pouch and dug three metal things out.**

"**Here, take these. They're charms." Bobby handed one to each of us. "They'll fend off possession. That demon is still out there. This'll stop it from getting' back up in ya."**

"**Thanks," Sam said gratefully.**

"**Ya know, I hope you remember where you parked the car." Leave it do Dean to think of his car.**

**It hadn't been outside, but Bobby had a huge yard, so it could've been anywhere. Parked in between the other cars, probably. And why did a demon need a car to begin with? They could just pop in and out whenever they wanted.**

"**You guys don't have to go if… If you need time to work things out, you guys are welcome to stay here."**

"**I think that would be good," Sam said softly, looking from Bobby to Dean to me.**

"**I still want my car," Dean said.**

**------------- -**

**Bobby didn't mention my freak out incident, but I'd known he wouldn't. Bobby was awesome like that.**

**Dean had been keeping me busy - I had telephone duty - because I think he was scared I would zone out again, and he didn't want that to happen.**

**It had freaked him out, I think, when _I_ hadn't freaked out at first, when I had been calm - more calm than I probably should've been.**

**I'd called Ellen, and Sarah, already - Sarah had been relieved, and Ellen had said she'd let everyone know that he was okay. I didn't tell Sarah about Sam being possessed because as far as I knew she didn't know about demons, and I didn't want Ellen to know because her, Jo, or Ash might put two and two together and realize Sam had killed Steve Wandel.**

**The only person I had left to call was my dad, and I probably would tell him about the possession. True, I hadn't known him for very long, but I felt that I could trust him not to tell anyone else. Especially if I told him not to.**

"**Hello?" Jack's voice came over the phone.**

"**Hey, Dad," I answered softly. "We found Sam."**

"**Really? That's good." There was a pause, and then, "are you okay? You sound…strange."**

"**Oh, uh…yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Um…it's just, he was possessed, and the exorcism went weird."**

"**Weird? Weird, like strange weird, or weird, like, it-didn't-work weird?"**

"**Well, a little of both, actually." I sighed. "The demon used some kind of symbol to lock itself inside."**

"**So the demon's still possessing him?"**

"**Well, no…and here's the strange part. I made the symbol disappear, and I sorta…forced the demon out of his body. Maybe. Sorta."**

"**Well, given what you're meant to be able to do…that goes along with what I know."**

"**And what _exactly_ is that, _Dad_?" I almost snapped, and then bit my lip to keep from letting myself lash out at him further. "What do you know? Are you keeping something from me? Again? Because I'm a big girl, Dad, and if you think you're protecting me by holding something back -"**

"**That's not what I'm doing," Jack interrupted. "I'm… Look, I wanna help you, I do. But there're some things that I can't tell you."**

"**Can't or _won't_?" I seethed. "Because I have given you _every_ chance to be honest with me, Dad -"**

"**No, you don't understand," Jack said desperately. "I _can't_ tell you everything I know. There are some things you have to find out for yourself."**

"**Why? Who says? Is it written somewhere that you can't tell me? I mean, what _am _I?" I felt tears pool in my eyes. "_Why_ can I do the things I do? Am I - am I even human?"**

"**Sweetie," Jack began.**

"**_Don't_ call me that," I almost yelled.**

"**Hey, hey, hey," I heard Dean say, as he came into the living room - he and Sam had walked to the car to bring it back. "What's goin' on?"**

**My emotions were going haywire and I felt like raging at everyone in my path. "My dad's bein' an ass again."**

"**Alyson -" Jack said, but I cut him off.**

"**No, listen, I have been through a lot in the past 24 hours, and I am not in the mood to be lied to, so if you don't have something honest to say, then I don't wanna hear it."**

"**Alyson," Jack tried again. "I can't tell you because…I just - I just can't talk about this over the phone."**

"**You were with me not even two weeks ago. You could've told me then."**

**I heard the door close and saw Sam come in the room. I turned my back to him. I didn't want to see the guilt or the apology in his eyes.**

"**Are you sure you're okay?" Jack asked, concerned. "You sound more upset with me than usual. And hysterical wouldn't be an unfair word to call you."**

"**Yeah, you know what? I _am_ upset. You're lying to me _again_. Even though I've -"**

"**I said I can't talk over the phone. And I can't tell you everything, I'm telling you that now. If you can't accept that, I'm sorry. But I'll tell you what I can."**

"**If you can't give me the answers I want, then you're no good to me." I knew that had to hurt, but I didn't care.**

"**Hey, okay, give me the phone," Dean said.**

"**No, I -"**

"**Give me the phone," Dean said quietly, gently grabbing my shoulders. "You're not thinking like yourself. Don't do something you'll regret later."**

"**Regret what? Telling Jack that he's an evasive bastard who I am better off without."**

"**See? That's exactly why you talkin' to him isn't in your best interest right now. Now, please give me the phone."**

**Part of me wanted to say no, that everything I was feeling towards Jack was valid and he should know how I felt. The other part of me, however, knew Dean was right, and I would regret the things I'd _already_ said, let alone things I could say if I kept talking to Jack. There was a lot of built of frustration and resentment and anger there that I could vent from.**

**But I ended up giving the phone to Dean, and then I plopped down on the nearest desk. I now felt emotionally drained again. I was becoming bipolar, that's what it felt like. One minute I was up, the next I was down.**

**I was vaguely aware of Dean talking to Jack in the background, and that Sam was heading toward me. I inwardly groaned. This was not going to be pleasant, I knew that much.**

**I stood up and visibly tensed. Sam stopped about five feet in front of me, giving me more than enough room to leave if I wanted, which I kinda did.**

"**On a scale of one to ten, how much are you hating me right now?" he asked.**

"**I'm not," I said, looking at the floor. "It wasn't you. It wasn't your fault."**

"**I'm sorry," he said, and I looked up.**

**There were tears in his eyes, and _this_ was what I'd wanted to avoid. The whole apology thing, when there wasn't a need for one…I hadn't wanted to go through this.**

"**Sam, I…" I let out a slow breath. "Wow, this is hard."**

**I looked over at Dean, who was sounding like he was getting as frustrated as I had been.**

"**Look, I know it wasn't you. You're not interested in me that way, and you would never do that even if you were. And I don't blame you, if that's what you're thinking. And, honestly, I'm not even scared of you right now. But I will need time to get past it, and if I avoid you or…whatever I'm gonna do…I want you to know that it has nothing to do with you. It's just what I need to do to deal."**

**Things were silent other than Dean's occasional response to whatever Jack was saying.**

"**Thanks," Sam suddenly said. "For whatever it was that you did."**

"**Uh-huh. I just wish I knew _how _I did it."**

**------------- -**

**The sleeping arrangements that night were a little strange. Dean had left it up to me, and I'd said I didn't know if I'd be able to actually sleep if someone was with me - even if it was him. He'd seemed hurt, but he'd understood, nonetheless.**

**So I was now in the bathroom going through the routine - brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, and changing to my pajamas.**

**After I was done I went out to the hall and began walking to my room, passing Sam's room on the way.**

**His door was cracked, and I heard him say, "I was awake for some of it, Dean." He sounded as lost as the demon had when we'd been in the motel room. "I watched myself kill Wandel with my own two hands. I saw the light go out in his eyes."**

"**That must've been awful," Dean said apologetically.**

"**I was gonna kill Alyson, too. After I -" he broke off. "I would've killed every hunter I could find. You, Bobby, and Jack, too, eventually."**

"**I'm sorry we didn't figure out you were possessed sooner."**

"**Yeah, me too." There was a tense silence, and then Sam was speaking again. "Is she gonna be okay? I really kinda did a number on her."**

"**She's freaked out a few times, but she's strong. She's resilient, she'll be okay. Eventually. And _you_ didn't do anything. It was that friggin' demon you had inside you that did it."**

"**Yeah, but I remember it like it was me, Dean. I remember doing it, but I couldn't control my own body. I couldn't stop myself from hurting her."**

**That was all I needed to hear, and I continued to my room, closing the door quietly behind me.**

**------------- -**

**An hour later I was still awake, and it wasn't one of those peaceful 'I just wanna lay here' kind of things. This was a tossing and turning 'I can't get comfortable and I really wish Dean was with me' thing.**

**I really was wishing Dean was with me. I'd gotten so used to sleeping beside him that I was finding it hard to sleep with him not with me. And snuggling with a pillow just wasn't a good substitute.**

**I vaguely wondered if I'd be able to sleep even if Dean were with me before getting up and leaving my room to go to his. I didn't even knock, I just walked in.**

**Dean was sitting up in the bed, holding his shoulder. It must've been bothering him.**

**He looked up. "Everything okay?" he asked.**

"**Couldn't sleep," I said, closing the door. "We still have pain medicine from when you hurt your ribs, if you need some."**

"**Nah, I took some, they're just not workin'," he replied.**

"**Sorry. Is there anything I can do?"**

"**No, it'll heal eventually." Dean looked toward the ceiling and then back at me. "I hate that things are awkward between us now. And I hate that this happened to you, that you had to go through that. I know that it's gonna take time, but if there's anything I can do to make it easier…just tell me and I'll do it. Okay? I don't wanna lose what we have because of this. It's too important to me for me to just let it go."**

**I wondered how long he'd been thinking that, and just how hard that had been for him to say.**

"**You were gonna shoot Sam." That was the first thing that popped into my head to say.**

"**Yeah. See? Important."**

**I gave a half-hearted smile. "It's important to me, too, what we have. And I don't wanna lose it either." I sat on the bed and looked at him a little uncertainly. "Can I stay with you?"**

"**You didn't even have to ask."**

**------------- -**

**Another hour later, I still wasn't asleep, but I was more comfortable being here with Dean than I'd been when I was alone.**

**Dean wasn't asleep either, I could tell by his breathing. His shoulder was bothering him, and the pain medicine still wasn't helping much. I felt so bad for him. My wrist wasn't bothering me at all - unless I tried to move it, or course.**

**Anyway, we weren't touching, exactly, but we were close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off of him.**

**I was wishing I'd been the one who'd been shot, and it wasn't some stupid self-sacrificing thing, either. It was purely practical. Dean didn't heal like I did. As soon as the bullet had been pulled out, I would've started to mend myself, and Dean's body just didn't do that.**

"**I'm sorry you were shot," I said, breaking the silence. "If I hadn't been tied up, I would've done something."**

"**It's okay," Dean said. "I'd rather you not jump in front of a bullet for me."**

"**But you'd do it for me," I protested weakly.**

"**Yeah, but I'm a guy," Dean said, with humor in his voice. "It's okay for me to do that kind of stuff. Swoppin' in and saving the damsel in distress."**

"**Damsel?" He was referring to me as the damsel? "Maybe the damsel is gonna end up saving the knight in shining armor. What do you think about that?"**

"**Knight in shining armor?"**

**I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Okay, the Knight in an awesome black '67 Chevy Impala. Better?"**

"**Much."**

**It was so easy to pretend nothing had happened when Dean and I were talking like this. It was so easy to just lose myself in this playful conversation because it was so…_us_.**

"**I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of all this," Dean said softly and sincerely. "Meg wanted to get back at me for sending her back to hell."**

"**Meg?" I knew who he was referring to, but I didn't get the connection. "I thought that…you mean, demons can just come and go as they please? I mean, I thought once you sent a demon back to hell, it was stuck there."**

"**No, they can, uh, they can crawl back out. It might take a while, but they can do it. It's just like your dad said about Azazel. He made that deal to give away his abilities because Yellow-Eyes could just crawl back out."**

"**Oh. And…the demon possessing Sam was a girl?" I was almost raped by a girl-demon-thing.**

"**Well…" Dean could see where I was going with this. "A demon can possess anyone it wants to. It's harder to possess some people than it is to possess others. It's easier if they can sink their teeth into a weakness. They grab hold of it and use it against you, makes it easier for them to control you. But…I don't know, do demons even have a gender?"**

"**I don't know," I replied. "In mythology…Christian mythology -" I used the word 'mythology' because I knew he didn't believe in God - "demons are fallen angels. And mythically speaking, they say angels are androgynous - they're neither male nor female, they just _are_. So, if you went by that, then no, they don't have a gender. They're just there."**

"**But angels have male names. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael…"**

"**I thought you didn't know this stuff or believe in it," I said, surprised he knew those names. I mean, we'd recently talked about Michael in Rhode Island, but other than that…**

"**Well, I don't. But you do, so I looked stuff up. Especially after that car accident I saw."**

**That was thoughtful. "Why would you do that?"**

"**Well, at first I wanted to know _why_ you believed in it. But I didn't want to ask because we'd agreed not to talk about it. And then it became more of a 'I need to understand why you think your abilities come from God' thing. Especially since a demon told you that."**

"**But they're scared of me. If my abilities weren't good, they wouldn't be scared. Also, they wouldn't want me dead."**

"**Well, yeah. There is that" He was silent for a moment, as if contemplating something, and then he spoke again. "So, these fallen angels…they go to hell?"**

"**In different mythologies it's, well, different. Some say they went to hell - Michael trapped Lucifer there, and with him, his other rebellious angels. Others say Lucifer was cast down to earth, and was forced to live out the rest of his existence as a human. And then other mythologies say Lucifer didn't exist at all. He's just a name for the dark side of humanity. 'The devil made me do it' and all that."**

"**Hm. And angels, they fall how?"**

"**Disobeying? Rebelling. Going against God's word. I mean, Lucifer disobeyed, that's how he fell."**

"**You read about this in mythology?"**

"**You can find it in any religious book out there. Or even on this amazing thing called the Internet."**

**Dean breathed out a laugh. "Right."**

"**Yeah, so, anyway…fallen angels. Lucifer felt pride. He refused to bow down before humans. He said something like 'I'd rather be Prince in hell than bow down before these inferior creatures'. I don't remember the exact words I read, but that was the just of it. Other angels felt that way, too, and Heaven had a full-scale rebellion on its hands."**

"**And you believe this?" His question was asked in curiosity not skepticism, so I didn't get defensive.**

"**Well, the Bible alludes to a battle in Heaven, but that's it. But yeah, I believe it, although I don't believe in the whole 'Devil made me do it' stuff. Aside from possession, of course. But Lucifer, the Devil, _whatever_, he tempts humans, but we have free will. We don't have to listen."**

**Things grew silent again, but it wasn't one of those uncomfortable silences. It was a companionable silence. I wasn't forcing my beliefs on him, and he wasn't externally rejecting my opinions. Granted, half of what I'd just said I'd gotten from one book or another, but it was still nice to talk about it and not be judged.**

* * *

Okay, so...I hope I did her reactions right, because I tried putting myself in her mindset, and I came up with this. I didn't think she'd be the type to just curl up and let it run her life, but I did think she'd go into shock for a bit, and maybe blame herself because she thinks she didn't try hard enough to stop demon-Sam from doing what he did. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think.


	40. Tall Tales Pt One

**Tall Tales  
Part One**

**The next day was more awkward in some moments than in others. And Dean was being so _caring_ with me it made me wanna cry. He was being patient and taking my mood swings in stride. He wasn't walking on eggshells around me anymore, and that helped a lot.**

**But he _was_ more cautious - in some ways - around me than usual. He wouldn't just hug me or touch me randomly. He let me come to him, and was there whenever I needed him.**

**Sam, however, was more awkward than me, and he stayed at least a room's length away. I kinda loved him for that. He was kind of doing whatever he could to make things as easy as possible for me.**

**Anyway, now that I had cooled off and thought about it, I was sorry for lashing out at Jack. But on the other hand, I was glad I'd told him how I'd felt. It felt better to get it off my chest, and now at least he knew how I felt about everything that he'd put me through.**

**And as for the guys wounds…Sam still had the handprint burn on his forearm, and Dean's shoulder was still bothering him, but it wasn't infected so that was good. And as for the wounds the demon had given him, his eye had a cut above it, his cheek and lip were bruised, and his bottom lip was swollen.**

**And as for my wounds? Well, my wrist wasn't broken anymore, but it was still sore.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Jack was the one who ended up calling me. Or, well, Dean, actually, and Dean had given the phone to me. 'He's your dad,' he had said.**

"**Yeah," I said as I answered.**

"**Feeling better?" Jack asked cautiously, sounding surprised that I'd answered the phone.**

"**Yeah, um…about that…I was just - I was in a lousy mood and I took it out on you."**

**Dean and I were in the living room of Bobby's house, not really doing anything other than sitting.**

"**I was just freaked out about what I had done and you were the one I wanted answers from. When you didn't give me them, I just sorta…lost it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean the things I said, and I shouldn't have said them."**

**I was being sincere, if not totally honest. He didn't know what had happened between Sam and me, and I wasn't going to tell him.**

"**It's just…what I can do scares me," I admitted. Dean already knew that, I'd told him before, so I didn't mind talking about this in front of him. "And the fact that I don't know what I'm capable of doesn't help matters at all." I sighed. "So…did you only call to see how I was doing?"**

"**That was part of it. I, uh, I…If there's anything you wanna know, I'm here. I'll tell you what I _can_. Just not over the phone."**

"**I appreciate that," I said. "But, um, everything's okay now. And, uh…I'm not sure I really wanna know. Pandora's box, and all that."**

"**You think you won't like the truth if you find it?"**

"**Right. Exactly."**

"**Oh," Jack said, sounding mock-disappointed. "Well, that's too bad, ya know, 'cause I got in touch with someone who could probably help us out."**

**My breath kinda caught in my throat, and I sat up straighter. "What?" I breathed again. "Who?"**

"**Someone I've known since I found the prophecy about you. You can trust him. He's a priest, and he's a very private man, but I'm sure he'll see you as a favor to me."**

"**Does he know about me?"**

"**He doesn't know who you are, but he has seen the prophecy. Before I destroyed it, he was the one who translated it. Roughly, anyway. But he can probably tell you what I can't."**

"**Where? When?"**

"**He owns a small place in Corydon, Indiana," Jack said. "But just wait, okay? I need to set everything up. He wouldn't respond well to you just popping up outta nowhere."**

"**And you said that we can trust him?"**

"**Definitely."**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"**Are you sure you wanna do this?" Dean asked while I packed our stuff into our bags. This was the third time he'd asked in the past fifteen minutes. He was referring to us going to Corydon, Indiana.**

**My answer had been yes the other two times, and it was yes now.**

"**I need to know more," I said. "Like if these abilities are gonna drain me every time I use them. I mean, what if one time I go too far and I seriously hurt myself?"**

"**No, I get that," Dean said quickly. "I don't want you to get hurt either. But I just want you to make sure you're ready before you open the truth box. Because once it's open, you can't just re-close it like nothing ever happened."**

"**Wow, that was really deep, Dean," Sam's voice came from the doorway to our room. "Are you feelin' okay?"**

"**Bite me," Dean remarked. "And my health is just as good as ever, thanks."**

**Sam grinned until his eyes fell on me, and then his face fell. "Hey, Alyson."**

"**Hi, Sam," I said, not pausing from packing. "Did you want something?"**

**And this? Between us? Sucked. Things were pretty much 'hey, how ya doin'? Bye.' between us. And I hated it. Because on the one hand, he'd really freaked me out when he'd been possessed. But on the other, I loved Sam and I wished we could get past this. Now.**

**Call me impatient and unreasonable, but I just wanted things back to the way they were before.**

"**No, I didn't," Sam answered. "Or, well, I did, but it's the same thing Dean just said. Which is…make sure you're ready."**

**I did pause now, and I looked up at Sam. "Thanks. I will."**

"**Yeah." And then he began to walk away.**

"**Sam, wait," I said, chasing after him. "Wait. You don't have to go."**

"**Yeah?" Sam sounded cautiously hopeful. "'Cause I was thinkin' you and Dean should do this one yourselves."**

"**Don't be stupid," I said. "You're a part of this, Sam. Things wouldn't be the same without you." I paused before continuing. "Besides, aren't you and Dean supposed to be attached at the hip?" I said, teasing.**

"**I heard that," Dean called out, louder than necessary.**

"**You were meant to," I quipped, grabbing Sam's sleeve and dragging him back in the room. "Now, come on."**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"**So much for you three takin' time to work through this, huh?" Bobby asked.**

**Sam, Dean, and I had just sat down to tell Bobby that we wouldn't be staying as long as we'd planned. "Yeah, um," I began, "well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us."**

"**What?" Bobby seemed surprised.**

"**Well, you're part of this, too, Bobby," I said. "So you should be able to decide whether you want to come with us or not. I mean, you let me stay here sometimes and this affects you, too."**

"**Oh, well - " Bobby now seemed surprised _and_ happy, touched, "- I don't need to. I trust ya'll enough to know you'll let me know if you find something out."**

"**Yeah, we will," I said firmly.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**After we left Bobby's we began heading to Indiana, and the drive was awkward. To say the least. And the weird part was that it wasn't me who was causing it. It was the two guys.**

**Sam was still blaming himself for what he'd done and what he would've done if Dean hadn't arrived at the mausoleum when he had. And that got on Dean's nerves pretty quickly.**

**I was 99.9 percent sure that Dean didn't blame Sam, but it still must've been awkward and hard to have to remember what he'd seen. I mean, I was his girlfriend and Sam was his brother, and even though Sam had been possessed it was still his body.**

**But the fact was that Sam kept his broody 'I'm so sorry' face on at all times, and that just reminded Dean of everything and it just seemed to make the car ride tense.**

**Dean's shoulder was still hurt, and Sam was doing most of the driving, which wasn't helping Dean's mood any. Sam was making us listen to some kind of emo stuff, and when Dean had complained, Sam had said something like 'driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole." And then he'd said it was Dean's rule, and Dean had shut up. And actually, Sam's music wasn't emo in my opinion, but it seemed to be like torture to Dean. I was surprised his ears weren't bleeding.**

**Needless to say, Dean made Sam get in the passenger seat at the next rest stop. Hurt shoulder or no, Dean couldn't take Sam's music anymore.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**We stopped for the night in Springfield, Illinois, at this place called the King's Lair. This place wasn't the best place we'd been in, but it had a kitchen so I could cook if I wanted to. But I didn't, not at all.**

**Anyway, we were all in the same room because I'd wanted it that way. Sam had offered to get a separate room, but I'd told him he didn't have to. We were traveling together, and the more we avoided each other the longer it would take for us to become normal around each other.**

**It was ironic that Sam was the one doing the avoiding, because I'd told him I might avoid him, but no. I was pretty much okay with being around him. As long as he didn't grab me or touch me in anyway, which he didn't. Hadn't even tried to.**

**I wasn't worried about nightmares because, strangely enough, I hadn't had any. Though that could have been because I hadn't slept more than a few hours the night before. So I hoped I didn't wake up screaming in the middle of the night.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**The next morning I woke up around six, and neither brother was up yet, so I took a shower. After I got out, the guys were still asleep, so I quietly began walking towards the door. I was gonna go to the store. I knew Dean would be all 'why'd you go out without me?' but I was only gonna bring stuff back, maybe stop at the store on the way to a restaurant and pick up a few things for the kitchen area we had.**

**I remembered it would be freezing outside so I picked up Dean's keys so I could use his car, then stopped and decided to leave a note on the motel stationary telling Dean I'd be back in about an hour. I didn't want him to freak out needlessly. I left the note in the bathroom.**

**At the local Kwik Mart I picked up a couple doughnuts - I wouldn't have to go to a restaurant now - some milk - we had a small fridge - and some coffee. I got bread and a package of sliced deli meat, along with other stuff for sandwiches for later. I didn't know how long we'd be staying in Springfield, so I didn't get too much.**

**As I was standing in line, two young people - one girl, one guy - started talking about something interesting. Or semi, anyway.**

**A college professor had fallen headfirst out of his office window. And they actually meant headfirst - they guy's skull had cracked open. Supposedly a janitor at the school had found him.**

**The weird part was that a few people said they'd seen a girl go in his office, but she'd never come out. The girl who was talking said the guy's name: Arthur Cox. Supposedly he was an author, though I'd never heard of him.**

**I looked at the two people, who I assumed were students, and saw that the girl was all primped up, and the guy was wearing a jacket; it looked like a fraternity jacket.**

"**You guys go to the school where it happened?"**

"**Yeah, why?" the girl asked. She sounded like she had a superiority complex.**

"**I'm a journalist for the local paper." The lie came smoothly. "My name is Molly Singer." That's the first last name I'd come up with other than my own, and Winchester. "I'd shake your hand, but mine are kind of full. Do you think maybe I could interview you for the story I'm workin' on?"**

**They both seemed all for it.**

"**Sure," the guy said. "My name is Curtis, this is Jen." He gestured to the girl. "We were supposed to have his Ethics and Morality class this morning, but that won't be happening, huh?"**

"**Nope, guess not." I plastered on a fake smile as the line moved. "So, why do you think he did it?"**

"**Nobody knows," Jen said. "He was tenured, wife and kids. His book was, like, a really big deal." And, wow, she was a valley girl. "Then again, who's to say it was suicide?" she said conspiratorially.**

"**Jen, come on," Curtis said, rolling his eyes.**

"**Well, you know about Crawford Hall," Jen said, looking at Curtis.**

"**It's a bunch of crap," Curtis said, turning his gaze on me. "It's a total urban legend. And hey, don't you need a tape recorder or a notepad or somethin'?"**

"**No, I have a retentive memory. Now -" I looked at Jen "- you were saying?"**

"**Like, thirty years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor. He broke it off, and she jumped out the window and killed herself."**

"**Know the name?" I moved forward and placed my stuff on the counter. The cashier started ringing my stuff up.**

"**No, but they say she jumped from Room 669. Get it?" Jen's eyes were wide, so she believed what she was saying. "You turn the nine upside down…"**

"**And you get a six," I finished. "Right."**

"**Right. So, now she haunts the building. And anyone who sees her…they don't live to tell the tale."**

**Curtis was laughing. "Well, if no one lives to tell the tale, then how does the tale get told?"**

"**Curtis! Shut up!"**

**I thought he had a point, but I also thought - well, _knew_ - that a lot of urban legends had at least a thread of truth to them.**

**My total came to twenty something, and then I said thank you to the two people and left.**

**Inside the car I made a decision to swing by the college campus before heading back to the motel. I had left a note, and if Dean started to worry then he could always call.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**At the campus, I looked for Arthur Cox's office, or what had been his office, anyway.**

**When I found it I saw that someone was in it. It was a woman - maybe age thirty - who was going through his stuff.**

"**Um, excuse me," I said, and the woman looked up.**

"**Yes?" She had a formal sort of voice. "Do I know you?"**

"**Um, maybe. I go here. I was - I was in his class."**

"**Yeah? Well, I don't know you. Sorry, the dean can't be expected to know every student."**

"**Right. It's just that I loved his class so much."**

"**Look, I'm sorry, but three other girls have come to me, and they loved him just as much as you did, I'm sure, but people die. That's what we're here for."**

**And wasn't she a breath of fresh air? It almost made me sad that I _was_ breathing.**

"**Sorry I bothered you," I said under my breath.**

**The dean sighed. "I heard that, and _I'm_ sorry. It's just…he was a good teacher, but he wasn't the best of men."**

"**He taught Ethics and Morality."**

"**Yeah, it recently came to my attention that he had sexual relations with a lot of his female students. If he hadn't died, I would've had to fire him."**

"**I thought he had job security."**

"**Yes, well, tenure goes out the window when somethin' like that happens."**

**I smiled. "Out the window?"**

"**No pun intended. Although the irony in that statement is enough to make a literary genius cringe."**

"**Right, well…I'm gonna go."**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Outside the building in the parking lot, I sorta got whammied by a jolt of…_something_. It didn't hurt me, it just was…powerful. It didn't seem evil but it wasn't good, either. It just _was_. And it was so powerful, it almost made me go down on my knees, it almost knocked me off of my feet. It totally threw me off balance. I'd never felt anything like it.**

**I was at the car now, and I actually had to lean up against it to keep from falling over. And I didn't know who or what was causing it, but there were only a few people around. A couple students, a security guard, and a janitor.**

**The janitor was closest, and he was looking at me curiously. And then I sorta fell on my butt. That's how powerful whatever was here was.**

"**Whoa, you okay there?" It was the janitor guy. "You're lookin' kinda…lightheaded."**

"**Yeah, well…" I didn't know what to say other than that.**

"**You a student here?"**

"**No, I, uh, reporter. Local paper."**

"**Ah, the professor's death."**

"**Right. You, um…" I eyed his outfit. "Were you workin' that night?"**

"**I'm the one who found him. I saw him go up to his office and, uh, he wasn't alone."**

"**Really?"**

"**He was with a girl. I told the cops about it, but I guess they never found her."**

"**Did you know her?"**

"**Not _her_."**

"**What'd you mean?"**

**The janitor guy grinned. "I don't mean to cast aspersions on a dead guy, but, uh…Mister Morality here? He brought a _lot_ of girls up there. Got more ass than a toilet seat."**

**If I had been feeling better, I probably would've laughed because _that_ was funny.**

"**Um…and there's no room 669, right?"**

"**Nope. There's only four floors." The guy looked at me. "Why do you ask?"**

"**Nothing, it's just something I heard."**

**I got up again and actually got in the car this time. I hoped I didn't wreck the car.**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**When I got back to the room Dean was on his cell looking frantic. My first thought was 'oh, God, Sam's gone _again_.'**

**He looked at me as I came through the door, and he snapped his phone shut and clenched his jaw shut.**

"**Dean?" I set the bags on the table. "What's wrong?"**

"**Where were you?" He seemed a little angry.**

"**At the…store. I left a note."**

"**No, you didn't," he denied.**

"**Yes, I did," I argued. "I left it in the bathroom. It's the first place you go when you wake up. I take it you didn't find it."**

"**It's not there."**

"**Well, I left it there. Why didn't you just call?"**

"**I did, but you didn't answer."**

**I opened my pocketbook to find my phone…but… "my phone's gone."**

"**Well, where is it?"**

"**I don't know, that's why I said it's gone. Are you mad at me? Because all I did was go out and buy food. Oh, and I talked to a few people who were talking about some guy who landed on his head after jumping out of a fourth story window."**

"**So?"**

"**I went to the college where he died…and, um, there was - there was something there. I don't know what it was, but it was powerful. It made my radar go on sensory overload."**

**Dean blinked a couple times. "I don't like it."**

"**D-don't like what?"**

"**You going out doin' all this stuff by yourself. You could get hurt."**

"**What was I supposed to do? Ask for permission? I mean, I left a note. I did that so _you _wouldn't worry."**

"**Yeah, well, considering what happened the last time you were away from me -" he broke off and clenched his jaw again.**

"**Dean, you can't keep an eye on me 24/7, you know that. And I can't _believe_ you'd bring that up. _That_ has nothing to do with this."**

**And, wow, we were having our first argument. I mean, sure, we'd disagreed on stuff before, but we'd never full-on yelled at each other before.**

"**That has _every_thing to do with this. Every time you leave my sight you get hurt."**

"**Okay, that's an exaggeration. I'm here, in one piece."**

**Dean took that in and sighed. "Yeah, you are…just next time tell me where you're goin'."**

"**I did, in a note."**

**And that was the wrong that to say, because now Dean was getting angry again. "Which I never got," he said tightly.**

"**That's not my fault," I yelled, and then something launched itself at Dean's head. The remote from the TV set.**

"**Hey!" he said, ducking. "Don't throw stuff at me. Don't use your abilities on me."**

"**I'm not meaning to," I said calmly, and maybe even a little sheepishly. "Let's just…not do this right now."**

"**Do what right now?" Sam asked, coming through the door. "And where were you, I've been lookin' everywhere for you."**

"**AHHH!" I screamed in frustration - I think the windows actually shook with the noise. "Really? Do the both of you think I'm so incompetent that you have to check up on me?"**

"**I never said that," Dean said. "You're not incompetent."**

"**And we've obviously hit a nerve," Sam said patiently. "What's up?"**

**I sighed. "Nothing, I just…we got into it because I left a note and Dean didn't find it."**

"**Because it's not there."**

"**I believe you," I responded, glaring. "Let it go. Anyway -" I turned back to Sam "- I found a case. Maybe."**

"**What'd you mean?"**

"**Well, someone died on the local college campus. Jumped out a window, landed on his head. I heard someone talking about a ghost, so I went and checked it out."**

**I retold the story of what had happened, my falling on my butt and all.**

"**Hm," Sam muttered.**

"**Hm? Good 'hm' or bad 'hm'?"**

"**Confused 'hm," Sam answered. "And you don't know what you felt?"**

"**No. I mean, it was weird, and not evil, exactly, but not good, either…just really powerful. It didn't feel like a ghost."**

"**Hm," Sam said again. "Okay, well, I'm still gonna do a search for any girls who may have killed themselves in the building."**

"**Good idea." Dean looked at me. "What food did you get?"**

"**I got doughnuts for now, and sandwich stuff for later. And milk for coffee. And some sugar packet thingies."**

**Sam sat down at the table with his computer and opened it up. "Were you on my computer?"**

"**No," Dean and I said in unison.**

"**Dean, it's frozen on…." Dean's expression turned guilty, and Sam spoke again. "Dean! Would you just…don't touch my stuff anymore, okay?"**

"**Why don't you control your OCD?"**

**Oh, this was gonna be a fun case, considering we were all arguing.**

"**Take the modem out of the bottom, your computer will be fine." I looked at Dean. "Can I use your phone? I wanna call Jack."**

**I needed to know if he'd gotten in touch with that priest guy.**

**Dean handed me his cell, and I went into the bathroom, just in case Sam and Dean decided they wanted to have a shouting match while I was on the phone. Speaking of which, I really wanted to know where mine was.**

"**Yeah," Jack answered.**

"**Hey," I said. "Did you talk to that guy yet?"**

"**Yes, I did, actually. I'm actually on my way there."**

"**Oh, um, okay…well, we won't be there for a while. We're, uh…workin' a case."**

"**I thought this would be top priority for you."**

**I smiled slightly. "Well, it was. But it's amazing how you're priorities shift once you find out someone has died." Then I realized that Jack would have no idea what I was talking about. "This professor guy jumped or fell, or was pushed out of a window. There was a college legend that a girl killed herself there, so I checked it out -"**

"**Alone?" Jack cut me off.**

"**You too? Really?"**

"**What?"**

**I sighed. "Nothing…just, yes, alone. I'd gone to the store and heard about it. But, I don't think it was a ghost, it was something else."**

**I heard a door slam, and then Jack said, "what was that?"**

"**Just…one of the guys. They're…_we're_ arguing."**

"**Friction in the ranks, huh?"**

"**Somethin' like that," I replied.**

"**What's wrong? This is the second time in the past three times I've talked to you that you've been upset."**

"**I'm not upset."**

"**Yes, you are. Your voice is softer when something's wrong. So…you and Dean are arguing, huh? About what?"**

"**When I left this morning I wrote him a note. He didn't find it. He got angry, said it wasn't here, but I swear I left it." And now that I was in the bathroom I noticed, that no, the note wasn't here.**

"**Sounds to me like he was just worried. Why'd you argue?"**

"**My phone is missing, so when he tried to call…" I trailed off. "Anyway, he didn't like that I was checking stuff out on my own, and then -"**

"**So, it's over?" Jack interrupted. "The argument?"**

"**Well, yeah, but…I don't know. Dean's feelings are the same, and mine…"**

**Jack seemed to be laughing. "This is your first argument, isn't it?"**

"**Well…how'd you know that?"**

"**I recognize the signs. Listen, sweetheart -" I cringed at the pet-name "- couples argue. That's what they do. It's healthy. Trust me. The best thing you can do is just take a step back for a while, think about why you argued, and then talk it out rationally."**

"**Yeah, ya know, that makes sense," I said. "But I kinda need to go, I'll call you back before we leave."**

"**Yeah, okay."**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**Sam had been the one to leave, I assumed, because he wasn't in the room when I came out of the bathroom. Dean, however, was munching on a doughnut. I handed him his phone and his keys.**

"**Dean, can we talk?"**

"**Depends. Are we just gonna argue again?"**

"**I don't want to," I admitted. "As funny as watching you ducking for cover is, I'd rather it not be because I can't control my abilities." I took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. "I know you only got mad because you were worried. But Dean, I _did_ leave a note, so I don't know why it wasn't there when you looked. And I don't know where my phone is. _That's_ the truth. I wouldn't lie to you, you know that."**

"**And the whole 'incompetent' thing?" Dean asked, mouth full. "What was that about, where did that come from?"**

"**Oh, that?" Dean _would_ ask about that. For the first time I was wishing that I didn't mind lying to him. But I would never lie to him if he asked me something. "Dean…I…really don't know how to answer this without…sounding broken."**

"**Broken?"**

"**You weren't completely wrong when you said this was about _that_ -" sad, really, that I could say it "- because it sorta is. Look…I'm not saying it was your fault, because it totally wasn't. But you weren't _there_."**

**And now I just felt like crying. Which was okay, but then again, it wasn't because what if Sam came back and saw? He'd know why I was crying.**

**Dean swallowed what he'd been chewing, and put the rest of his doughnut down. Great, I'd made him lose his appetite.**

"**You weren't there, and I just…I was helpless and I couldn't do anything. But then on the inside I feel like I could've done something, that I should've. But I didn't because it was Sam. Honestly -" the first tear fell "- it's not what happened that bothers me the most. It's the helplessness I felt while it was happening."**

**Dean got up from the table and sat down beside me on the bed. He had his sympathy face on, which he saved mostly for Sam and me, and maybe for kids.**

"**And then after, there was shame and feelings of 'this is my fault. I didn't stop it,' and then there came 'I'm filthy, I just wanna be clean again.'"**

"**You're not filthy," Dean said emphatically. "You're not even a little bit dirty, really."**

"**I know that now. But right after, that's what I felt." I knew that it hadn't even been three full days since it had happened, and that I needed time to get over this, but I was impatient and I wanted it to go away like it had never happened.**

"**I felt like…I was lower than anybody, and that I wouldn't be able to do anything, and that's why I snapped out that 'incompetent' stuff. I know you didn't mean it that way when you said it, and if I hadn't been thinking it myself I probably wouldn't have even come to that conclusion."**

"**You…you didn't tell me that," Dean said.**

"**Yeah, well, I am now. I don't believe in pity parties, anyway."**

**Dean smiled sadly. "Neither do I, but sometimes people deserve them."**

**I reluctantly nodded my agreement. "Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry I threw a remote at your head."**

"**It's a'right, you didn't do it on purpose. Just…don't make a habit of it."**

**Now that he knew where I was coming from, and knew that I knew where he was coming from, it seemed that our disagreement/argument was over and in the past.**

* * *

Okay, so...I know it seems like what happened between her and Sam isn't affecting her much, but this is how I think she'd react for now. I don't know if it would be considered denial or something else, but she just wants to forget it ever happened and go back to the way things were before.


	41. Tall Tales Pt Two

**Elm Treigh: Yeah, LOL. The way Alyson feels about the Trickster is referencing to the fifth season. (I have been keeping up. Every Thursday night.) I was actually glad I hadn't written this one yet considering what happened and what we find out. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. Oh, and by the way...I loved this episode, and I loved the Trickster as a villain or whatever he's considered.**

**Tall Tales  
Part Two**

**A day later, our research was getting us nowhere. Sam and Dean had even gone to the dead professor's office to see if there'd been any EMF, but…nada. I had stayed at the motel for that, I didn't feel like falling on my butt again if whatever I'd sensed before was still there.**

**We would've thought that Mr. Cox had only committed suicide if it hadn't been for whatever I'd sensed - whatever it had been.**

**I mean, Sam had checked the school's history, but it was clean. No girl had killed herself there. In fact, nobody had died violently, period. So, we were ninety-five percent sure it wasn't a haunting.**

**And now, we were back to square one, because we didn't know what had happened. Or if the thing I'd felt had any connection to what had happened at all, anyway.**

* * *

**We watched the six o'clock news that night to see if they would say anything about the suicide. We might've missed something, but I doubted it.**

**They didn't really go over anything we didn't already know, but they did talk about some guy who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. It showed the guy who'd said it. He looked traumatized.**

"**Hey, that's the guy I talked to yesterday. Uh, Curtis something."**

**Dean shrugged. "Dude's nuts."**

"**He didn't seem nuts yesterday. In fact, he was the skeptic of the two. Said the ghost story was just an urban legend."**

"**So, not unhinged?" Sam asked.**

"**No. A little full of himself, maybe. But not unhinged."**

"**Hm. You wanna go talk to him?" Dean asked. "Maybe there's just something on campus that messes with people's heads."**

"**If that's the case," I began, "that's not good. Because it could mess with _our_ heads."**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "That's _not_ good."**

* * *

**We ended up at this campus bar that we found out that Curtis frequently went to. We didn't know if he'd be there that night, but we were sure we would be able to find someone who knew where he was.**

**But we didn't have to look very far. Curtis was sitting at a table off to himself with several shot glasses in front of him. He seemed very…_distressed_ is probably the word.**

**Anyway, I'd told Sam and Dean that this Curtis guy thought I was a local reporter, so we'd gone to get fake press passes at a local ID picture place.**

**Anyway, I'd gone over to him with both Sam and Dean, and Curtis had gotten defensive. He didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't want a story done on him. Which…I wouldn't have done if I had been a real reporter. It would've been in bad taste. Not to mention, any self-respecting newspaper wouldn't print anything about an alien abduction.**

"**Actually," I began, sitting down, "I remembered talking to you and I wanted to see if you were okay."**

"**You didn't even get my last name. How'd you find me?"**

"**Investigative reporter…it's what I do. You were wearing your fraternity jacket. I used my basic reasoning skills," I quipped. "Now, come on. Off the record. What happened to you?"**

**Curtis still looked hesitant.**

"**I'll buy you another drink," I promised. Or I'd give him the money for it anyway.**

"**You won't believe me," he said. "Nobody does."**

**Dean sat down opposite me, and Sam remained standing.**

"**Try us," I said softly. I had a sympathy voice that could rival Sam's when I wanted to use it. But usually I was a 'tell it to you straight' kind of person.**

"**Who're these guys?" he asked suspiciously.**

"**We're reporters, too," Dean said.**

"**But don't worry," I said. "They won't print anything you don't want."**

"**How can you be sure?"**

**I shrugged. "They'll do what I tell 'em."**

**Dean quirked an eyebrow in my direction, and Sam tried to suppress a grin, mostly succeeding.**

**Curtis downed one of his shots, and then started speaking. "I, uh…I blacked out and…I lost time, and when I woke up…I don't know where I was. But there were these things. They were white with black eyes. Big heads."**

"**Aliens?" Dean asked, and Curtis nodded.**

"**Then what?" Sam asked, sitting down now.**

"**They did tests on me, and um… -" he took another shot "- they, uh…they probed me."**

**I watched as Sam turned his head away, clenching his jaw to keep from laughing.**

"**They _probed_ you?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. They probed me," Curtis said, making it sound like he believed that it happened every day. "Again and again and again and -" he took the last shot "- and again and again and again and then one more time."**

**I blinked a few times, opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it again in disbelief.**

"**Yikes," Dean deadpanned.**

"**Ya know, that's not even the worst of it," Curtis claimed.**

"**How could it get any worse?" Dean asked. "Some alien made you his bitch!"**

**Curtis glared, and now I was the one who had to keep from laughing. Dean had a point there, with what he'd said.**

"**They made me slow dance," Curtis exclaimed. "It wrapped its arms around me and everything."**

"**Slow dance?" I asked. "With an…alien?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Where were you when…" Sam trailed off.**

"**In front of the place where Professor Cox died. There's a…something…near where it happened." He looked at his shot glasses. "Where's my drink?"**

* * *

**It was mostly dark when we got to Crawford Hall - where the Cox guy had committed suicide and where Curtis said he'd been abducted.**

**There _was_ something there. A burn mark in the form of a circle. Sam said it was made by some kind of jet engine.**

"**What the hell?" Dean asked.**

"**I dunno," Sam said.**

"**No, seriously, dude, what the hell?"**

"**I dunno," Sam repeated, frustrated. "I mean, first the haunting, now this? The timing alone, there's gotta be some kind of connection here."**

"**You mean, between the angry spirit and the sexed-up E.T.? What could the connection possible be?" Dean asked.**

"**I dunno, but…Curtis was in that professor's class," I said. I looked at Dean. "Are we thinkin' the same thing did this?"**

**Dean hesitated. "I'm not sure. But what are the chances of two different things in one place?"**

"**Good point," Sam said. "But are we believing that this was an alien abduction?"**

"**I don't believe in aliens," I said firmly.**

"**Yeah, there's never been any proof that they're real," Dean agreed.**

**Sam pointed at the burnt circle of grass. "Than what's that?"**

"**I don't know," Dean said, sounding as frustrated as Sam had a minute ago. "Maybe if we talked to one of his frat brothers, we could find something out."**

"**Maybe," I said. "Do you mind if maybe I sit this one out? Frat boys can probably be kinda…grabby."**

"**I can do this one if you want to go with her," Sam offered, getting that guilty look on his face again. He knew why I didn't want to be around grabby guys. Well, I never would've _wanted_ to be near grabby hands anyway, but now it would actually bother me, I think. It might even freak me out.**

"**Thanks, Sammy," Dean said. "We'll be at the car."**

* * *

**We actually got to the car a lot faster than we would have had we walked; it started raining and that equaled running. It was the middle of February, so it was cold, and I was shivering by the time I got to the car.**

"**So…you haven't said a word about today," Dean said.**

"**Today?" I asked. "Ghosts and aliens?"**

"**No, _today_. February 14th." Dean grinned. "I didn't think you'd be the type to celebrate Valentine's Day…but, um -" he began to look self-conscious "- I got you somethin' anyway."**

"**Dean -"**

"**No, wait. Before you say anything…It's not expensive or fancy, because I knew that would make you uncomfortable. I dropped Sam off here yesterday, and I went to find somethin'."**

**I smiled slightly. "Ya know, you didn't have to get me anything. You're right, I wouldn't really wanna celebrate. And I didn't get you anything."**

"**Well, I didn't get you anything for your birthday, so we'll call it even, 'kay?"**

"**If you say so."**

**Dean took something out of his pocket. A little box, about three inches in length and width. The box was red, and it seemed to be made out of leather.**

"**Anyway -" Dean handed me the box "- this was sort of a spur of the moment gift. I saw it and thought of you."**

**I opened it. There was a bracelet inside. It was hard to describe properly, but it was beautiful. Every other space was filled with crystal blue - sapphire? - stones, and in between them were clear crystals. The sapphires were square and the crystals were round. The bracelet also had charms dangling from it.**

"**The, uh…the guy I got it from said sapphire has protective properties. I don't know if that's true, but it's worth a try, right?"**

**I blinked a few times because, yes, it was. "And…the charms?"**

"**Well, I got to pick five and I wanted them to mean something."**

**There was a cross, a pair of hands that were combined, a heart, a guitar, and a sparkly glowy ball thing.**

"**The cross is…because I know you believe. I wanted you to know I'll never judge you for that. The pair of hands represents friendship, because we _are_ friends, no matter what else we are. The heart…well, ya know."**

"**Love?" I grinned.**

"**Yeah, that," Dean replied. "The guitar. For some reason it made me think of when we sing together. And the glow-ball thing made me think of that time when you went all glowy."**

**I snickered. "Glowy? You mean when I exploded?"**

"**Your word, not mine."**

"**Dean -" I looked at the bracelet "- I don't know what else to say except…thank you, and it's beautiful."**

"**Yeah, uh, that's not all," Dean said sheepishly. "But I don't know when Sam's gonna be back, and I don't want him to catch me in the middle of sayin' what I wanna say. He'd never let me live it down."**

**Dean put my bracelet on me, and I dangled it a few times. It felt good around my wrist. It belonged there because _Dean_ had given it to me.**

**I grabbed his hand in mine, and that's how we stayed, waiting for Sam.**

* * *

**When Sam got back - he sat in the backseat - he told us that the guy he'd talked to, one of Curtis' fraternity brothers, had said he thought Curtis was nuts. Something may have happened to Curtis, but he didn't believe it was aliens.**

**The frat dude said he'd had it coming to him, anyway. Curtis had been their pledge master, and he'd been hazing them - which I thought was illegal now -, getting off on embarrassing people.**

"**Okay, well, at least there's a connection now," Dean said, starting the car.**

"**Between what?" Sam asked.**

"**The professor and the frat guy. They're both dicks."**

"**True," I replied, thinking about it. "I mean, the professor guy had a wife, cheated on her, used his fame to get in girls' pants. And Curtis…" I trailed off. They already knew what I was gonna say, so I didn't need to say it.**

"**That's a connection?" Sam asked.**

"**You got anything better to go on, I'd love to hear it. I mean, think about it. A philandering professor gets a dead girl, a pledge master gets hazed."**

"**It's almost like they're getting a taste of their own medicine," I said. "Or, well, _exactly_ like that, actually."**

"**So you think someone or something is…dishing out the punishments?" Sam asked.**

"**That's what it seems like to me," Dean replied.**

"**We can research when we get back to the motel," Sam said. "But I don't know what we'll find."**

* * *

**When we got back to the motel room, Sam and Dean started arguing _again_. Sam couldn't find his computer, and he thought Dean had taken it.**

"**Where'd you hide it? I left it in here."**

"**Well, you obviously didn't," Dean remarked. "And why would I take your computer?"**

"**Because no one else could have, Dean," Sam yelled. "We keep the door locked, we never let any maids in."**

**Dean smirked. "Looks like you lost it, Poindexter."**

"**Dude, you know somethin'? I've put up with a lot from you," Sam was still yelling. "And all I ask from you is that you don't mess with my stuff. I mean, how would you feel if I screwed with the Impala?"**

"**It'd be the last thing you ever did," Dean said, sounding serious. "Are you done now?"**

"**Sam, Dean has been with us the whole time. He couldn't have done it."**

"**Well, somebody did," Sam retorted, and he actually sounded like he was pouting.**

"**It wasn't me," Dean said.**

"**And maybe somebody _has_ been here," I began, "because I don't have my phone anymore, and the note I left yesterday disappeared. We could always check with the front desk, ask if they've sent anyone here."**

"**Yeah." Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll go do that now."**

**Sam literally stomped out of the room like a little kid. Oh well, he'd get over it.**

* * *

"**So…" I said, about fifteen seconds after Sam had left.**

"**So, what?" Dean asked, looking at me from his seat.**

"**When do I get the other part of my present?" I went over, sat on the floor and leaned against his legs, my head propped near his knee.**

"**When I know we'll be alone for a while."**

"**Well, we're alone now," I pointed out.**

"**Yeah, but for how long?"**

**I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Okay, then can you give me a clue as to what it is?"**

"**No, because that would spoil the surprise."**

"**Yeah, okay," I said. "So, changing the subject now, how are we gonna research tonight if Sam doesn't find his computer?"**

"**Maybe we won't be able to. We'll have to go through the library's book stash tomorrow."**

**Dean's phone rang and he looked at the screen. "Your dad again. We really need to find your phone or get you a new one. One or the other."**

"**Hey, Dad," I answered.**

"**Hey, ya'll doin' okay on that case?"**

**I chuckled. "Funny you should mention that, because we're clueless."**

"**I thought you said it was a haunting. Why are you clueless?"**

"**Uh, aliens?"**

"**Aliens?"**

"**Yup." Since we were talking about the case I put the phone on speakerphone.**

"**There's no such thing," Jack said.**

"**That's what we thought," Dean said. "But there's a big burn mark on the ground that says different."**

"**Huh," Jack muttered. "Well, I know next to nothing about aliens, so I don't think I'll be any help with that." There was a few seconds of silence, and then he sighed. "That priest is in the hospital, he's okay - stable - but they're keeping him for observation."**

"**What happened?" I asked.**

"**Someone - or more precisely _something_ - found out I'd told you about him, and I'm guessing they didn't want you to know what he has to tell you."**

"**So he's in there because of me?" I said tightly. "Because of my need to know more about myself?"**

"**Maybe," Jack said. "I wouldn't have told you, but I needed to pass on a message. A demon attacked him."**

**A demon? Or course. What else?**

"**Ya know…you never even told us who this guy is," Dean said.**

"**No one's been here," Sam said, slamming into the room.**

"**Shh!" I hushed him. "I'm talking to my dad."**

"**Sorry." He looked at Dean. "I still want my computer back."**

"**I don't _have_ it."**

"**Guys? Shush now?"**

"**You guys seem to misplace things a lot," Jack said. "The note, the computer, the phone."**

"**Yeah, yeah. The guy's name? And the message?"**

"**Well, James Murphy. You knew his son Jim."**

"**Pastor Jim?" Sam asked. "I didn't even know Jim's dad was still alive."**

"**Yeah, he's alive, just very much retired. He was a priest and I still call him one. Oh, and the message came from the demon, and I don't exactly know what it means. It told James to tell you 'Meg sends her regards'."**

**My breath caught in my chest - it didn't even make it to my throat. Meg had been the one to attack this guy. She'd killed Jim Murphy, too. And she'd possessed Sam and made him do those things to me.**

**Things got tense in the room pretty quickly and I didn't think I wanted to talk anymore. Dean sensed that, I guess, and he took the phone, took it off of speakerphone, and resumed the conversation without me.**

* * *

**The fact that things were now awkward and tense between Sam and me again seemed to make my night complete. I'd _known_ something was missing.**

**No one had said anything after Dean had gotten off the phone with my dad. It was like no one _knew _what to say. And I decided arguing was better than this tense silence and the awkward glances between us.**

**Dean cleared his throat a few times, like he did when he was about to say something in uncomfortable situations, but he never got around to actually saying anything.**

**Sam's the one who finally broke the silence. "Ya know, I'm, uh, I'm really hungry, so I'm -"**

"**We'll go get something," Dean said, automatically volunteering me to go with him. Not that I minded, of course.**

**After finding out what Sam wanted - Chinese - Dean and I got in the car. We were gonna go to the closest place that served Chinese food, which was near Crawford Hall.**

**I began running my hand absently over the bracelet Dean had given me, playing with the charms that were dangling from it.**

"**You okay?" Dean asked softly, looking at me before starting the car.**

"**Yeah. I guess. Or I will be, anyway."**

"**And if I gave you your other present, would that help?"**

**I smiled slightly, letting both my hands fall into my lap. "That would be a good diversionary tactic."**

**He grinned a little before pulling a box out of his jacket pocket - much like he had before. Only this box was smaller - it was a ring box, I could tell from the size.**

**I froze, looking at the box. It was covered in blue velvet. I took a deep breath, and I must've looked shocked or maybe terrified, because Dean laughed.**

"**You can relax," he said lightly. "It's not like I'm holding a ball and chain in my hand. It's not what you're thinking."**

"**I wasn't thinking anything," I said sheepishly, because I kinda sorta was _totally_ thinking something.**

"**Yes, you were." Dean sounded somewhat amused. "You were thinking this was an engagement ring. Weren't you?"**

"**Well, maybe a little." I blushed. "But come on, look at the box."**

"**Yeah…well, I don't think you could marry me, anyway. I'm on America's Most Wanted, and before that I was supposed to be dead."**

**I grinned brightly at that. For some odd reason, I found that funny.**

"**Anyway, it's like we're married already, anyway. We spend almost every waking moment together." He looked at the box and then back at me. "This is just-this is just something that -" he opened it "- shows that I mean it."**

**The ring was silver with three sapphires outlining the top of it. It looked…expensive, but I kinda hoped it wasn't seeing as to how Dean got his money from hustling and credit car fraud.**

"**I've, uh…never done this before," Dean admitted. "But…he took the ring out and continued speaking. "I've never felt with another woman, what I feel when I'm with you." He grimaced a little. "And that sounds like a really bad get-in-your-pants line, but it's not, I swear."**

**He grabbed my left hand a slipped the ring on. "This is a promise ring, and I know they're usually used to promise to get married, but that's not why I'm giving this to you."**

"**Then what's it for?" I said, looking at the ring on my left hand. There was just enough light to see it sparkle.**

"**You know and I know that our job - our lives - are dangerous. We both know anything can happen at any time. That's one of the reasons I didn't try very hard to keep the relationship with Cassie. It wasn't fair to her - I knew that. And then…you came along and…you made me love you, trust you. With my life, with _Sam's_ life, and believe me that's not an easy thing for me to give."**

**His voice was so…raw with feeling. It sorta went right through me. It was low and rough, yet sincere and tender at the same time.**

"**And this ring, since it is a promise ring, sorta naturally leads to me making a promise. Which is that as long as I'm here on this earth, alive, you'll never have to worry about being alone. I'll always be here for you when you need me."**

**I didn't know what to say, but I was smiling so it wasn't a bad silence. But since I really didn't know how to say thank you to that…I moved just a little closer.**

"**No sudden movements, okay?"**

**I brought my hands up and cupped his face. I kissed the side of his mouth first, lightly, and the repeated the action one more time, before meeting his lips full-on.**

**I was mindful of his shoulder - which was still hurt - as I moved against his mouth. I moved one hand behind his head and ran my fingers through his hair.**

**I flicked my tongue over his bottom lip, and he sighed, opening up to me. This kiss was slow and soft. I didn't want to do anything what would make me freak out.**

**As it was, I felt something strange happening anyway. I felt…warm, maybe? And it was tingly, and it was originating from my chest. My heart, actually.**

**Maybe it was what _love_ felt like to me, and it was extremely strong at the moment. Or maybe it was something else, but it's like I was being drawn toward Dean's shoulder.**

"**Dean, I feel…strange." I moved my hand to the neck of his shirt and went underneath it to where the bandage was, and then I…glowed.**

**But this wasn't the same glowing that had occurred when I'd pulled the demon from Sam - if I even had done that. I might have just removed the symbol, which removed the demon. But anyway, that light had been golden, _this _light, however, was white and it felt pure, and strictly benevolent. But it was all in my hand, the glowing was, just as it had been the first time.**

**Dean made a sound between a gasp and a moan - a good moan - and I could tell something good was about to happen.**

"**What're you doin?" Dean whispered.**

"**I don't know," I said shakily, and then I stopped glowing.**

**He brought his arm up and grabbed my hand in his, shifting his shoulder - the hurt one - in a way that shouldn't have been possible because it was _hurt_. He removed my hand from his shirt and then shifted his jacket and his shirt out of the way. He removed the bandage.**

**His wound was no longer there. I moved even closer to get a good look. I ran my fingers lightly over where his gunshot wound had been.**

"**There's not even a scar," I said softly. "I…don't know how I did that."**

**Dean placed his hands on my shoulders, and moved them up to where they were on either side of my neck.**

"**You…healed me." He sounded amazed, but not freaked out.**

**Me, though? I was freaking out sorta, because this was another new thing that I'd found out I could do. This was cool, though, because I hated when Sam and Dean got hurt, and if I could heal them then that would be great.**

"**What'd you do?" Dean asked, hushed.**

"**I don't know, I -" I broke off. "It just happened. I don't know if I can do it again."**

**His thumbs trailed over my jaw line, and my eyes fluttered closed. We stayed that way for a couple seconds and then I pulled away.**

"**I think Sam's gonna starve before we get back," I quipped lightly. I didn't really wanna dwell on what I'd just done.**

* * *

**At the Chinese place, Dean went in to order while I stayed in the car. We were about a half a block from Crawford Hall, and it was actually kinda creepy because there were no streetlights and the only light was coming from the restaurant. There were hardly any people around either, so when I heard a scream I could tell exactly where it was coming from.**

**I looked toward Dean, and then got out the car to run toward the scream. I'd come back in a minute to let him know I was okay. I left my purse there to let him know I'd be back.**

**I hadn't even run for a whole minute when I saw where the noise was coming from. There was a guy on the ground, only half his body was still visible. I didn't understand what was happening at first.**

**When I got to him I saw that his arm was down a drain pipe and his leg was…missing. It looked like it had been torn off.**

"**Oh, God." I went closer and realized something was growling; it was coming from the sewer.**

"**Help me," the guy groaned.**

**I grabbed onto his remaining arm and pulled, but nothing happened. Something had hold of him from inside the sewer. And oh, wow, I suddenly saw that the side of his face was…clawed?**

**Then a green scaly tail thing swiped along the entrance of the drain pipe. What the hell?**

**There were people gathering around now; they must've heard the screams, just the same as I had. They, however, weren't trying to help like I was.**

**There was a _crack_ as the guy's neck twisted in a way that - well - killed him. And then a long snout-thing pushed it's way through the opening and I jumped back.**

**That had been an alligator nose, I was sure of it. Alligators in the sewers? An alligator that was slowly munching on this dead guy, dragging him closer to the drain and down into the sewer. But there was no way I was getting close enough to try and bring him away.**

**And someone had apparently called the police because there were now sirens close by.**

**I slipped away quietly. I needed to get back to Dean before he came looking for me; it would not do well for him to be seen by the police.**

* * *

**Back at the car, I noticed that Dean was still inside - I guess I hadn't been gone as long as it had felt.**

**I also noticed that Dean's tires were flat - all four of them. Uh-oh…and Sam's money clip was on the ground on the passenger side. Dean was gonna be pissed.**

**And he was. As soon as he came out of the restaurant, he noticed the state of his car.**

"**What the hell happened to my car?"**

"**Um…" I handed him Sam's money clip. It was silver and had the initials S.W. on it. **

"**Sam!"**

"**Yeah. I-I didn't see it happen. I was over at Crawford Hall. A guy was killed. I heard him screaming. When I came back it was like this."**

"**Someone died?"**

"**Yeah, he, uh, he was eaten."**

**He looked at the bag of food he was holding. "Eaten?"**

"**Uh…alligator in the sewer. Maybe more than one."**

"**Did you actually see -"**

"**Yeah. Its nose and its tail."**

**Dean didn't say anything else about that. He just looked at his car again and muttered. "Son of a bitch."**

* * *

**When we got back to the motel - it took a little while since we had to walk - Dean stormed through the door.**

"**You think this is funny?"**

**Sam was sitting on the bed going through a newspaper. He looked up. "Depends. What?"**

"**The car!"**

"**What about the car?"**

"**Ya can't let the air out of the tires, you idiot! You're gonna bend the rims."**

"**Whoa, wait a minute. I didn't go near your car."**

**Sam sounded sincere, and I had to admit that letting the air out of the tires just to get back at Dean didn't seem like something Sam would do. But…on the other hand, we had the money clip, and he'd had enough time to get there and back what with Dean's speech in the car, and then the alligator attack.**

"**Then how'd I find this?" He showed Sam the clip.**

**Sam stood up, feeling his pockets. "Give me back my money."**

"**No. No. Consider it reparations for emotional trauma," Dean said, placing the food on the table and heading to our bed and his bag.**

"**Yeah, very funny. Now, give it back."**

**Sam tried to grab it, but Dean swiped it away.**

"**No."**

"**Dean, I have had it up to here with you," Sam said, gesturing to the top of his head.**

"**Yeah? Right back at ya."**

**Sam tried to grab the money, but Dean kept it out of reach. Then Sam kept grabbing at it until they both fell onto the bed, wrestling for the money.**

"**Get off me!" Dean exclaimed.**

"**Give it back!" Sam shouted.**

**I burst into a fit of giggles because _this_ was hilarious. Dean was 28 years old and Sam was three-and-a-half years younger than that, and they were fighting like two kids. They'd reverted back to childhood.**

**Still laughing, I grabbed the money from Dean's hand, and put it in my pocket.**

"**Hey," they both said, still wrestling.**

"**Enough," I said fondly. "This isn't gonna solve anything."**

**They stopped going at each other long enough for them both to stand up straight.**

"**Okay. _I'm_ keeping the money, I'm the bank. If we find out you did it -" I looked at Sam "- then Dean gets the money. If we find out you didn't, you get the money back."**

"**But -" Sam started.**

"**No buts," I interrupted. "Besides, we have other things to worry about. Keeping people from dying, for instance."**

**I went on to tell Sam about the alligator in the sewer, and where I'd found the victim - Crawford Hall. Same as where the professor and Curtis had had their _experiences_.**

"**So, this couldn't get any weirder, right?" I asked out loud. "I mean, the ghost, the _aliens_, and now alligators in the sewer."**

"**Well, it's a classic urban legend," Sam said. "A kid flushes a baby gator down the toilet, and it grows huge in the tunnels." He sighed. "Maybe we should get some help. I'll call Bobby. Maybe he's run into something like this before."**

"**Oh, I'm sure he has," Dean sniped. "It's just your typical haunted campus, alien abduction, alligator in the sewer gig. Yeah, it's simple."**

**Sam glared at Dean, and then rolled his eyes, looking back at me. His gaze fell on my hand - or the ring, more specifically.**

"**When'd you get that?"**

"**Um, today," I muttered. "Before we got the food."**

"**Hm."**

**That was that, and Sam went to call Bobby, telling him where we were and that we could use his help. They had no clue what we were dealing with, and they'd been doing this a lot longer then I had, so I knew I didn't know anything. I was just learning as we went.**

**It was gonna be hard to research, though, without Sam's computer. And it would be hard to get anywhere near a bookstore without Dean's car.**

* * *

**A couple minutes after Sam got off the phone with Bobby his eyes grew wide, looking at Dean.**

"**Is your shoulder okay? I forgot -"**

"**What? That you shot me?" Dean snarked, and Sam got that guilty look on his face that had been coming and going the past few days. "My shoulder's fine. Aly healed it."**

**Sam did a double-take in my direction, and I blushed lightly.**

"**Don't ask me how," I said. "I have no idea. I didn't even know I could do that, or if I can do it again."**

**Sam made a thoughtful expression and then shrugged. "Considering the lives we have, and how much danger we get it…if you could heal us, that would make things easier."**

**I grinned, because those were my thoughts exactly. Besides, I'd always felt guilty when they were hurt, because I healed automatically, and if I _could_ heal them then that would relieve my guilt.**


	42. Tall Tales Pt Three

**Okay, so I know it's taken longer than normal to update, but I've been stressed lately. I had writer's block and then there was Thanksgiving and then family drama, so...sorry guys.**

**Also...a small warning. It's nothing really, slight sexual stuff in this chapter, but they don't even take their clothes off, so...LOL. I'm just paranoid, so I put the warning up anyway.**

**Tall Tales  
Part Three**

**The next morning when I woke up, Sam and Dean were talking heatedly about the Impala and the laptop again. They weren't being loud, exactly, but I could feel the tension slowly filling the room. Sam was telling Dean that research was gonna be slow because we didn't have the computer, and that he just _knew_ Dean was gonna be impossible to get along with. And Dean said it was because Sam had screwed up his car.**

"**I had nothing to do with that," Sam said. "I didn't touch your car."**

"**And _I_ didn't touch your computer."**

"**Guys? Are you gonna be arguing _all_ day?" I said, my voice low from sleep. "'Cause if you are I think I'd like to be elsewhere. I could go to the campus and use their library, or I could go to the regular library or whatever."**

**I sat up and noticed that Sam was actually already surrounded by books. So it looked like I wouldn't need to go get books after all.**

"**Actually, I could do with some help," Sam said, "since Dean is being less than helpful."**

"**I'm bored," Dean complained, "and hungry."**

"**Well, then why don't you go get something?" Sam said, sounding as though he really wanted Dean to be elsewhere.**

"**It's cold outside," Dean said, "and I no longer have my car."**

"**Dean…" Sam seemed to be losing his patience. He stood up and slammed the book he'd been reading from closed and threw it on the table. "Ya know, fine, whatever. _I'm_ gonna leave for a while, then."**

"**Oh, you're leaving?" Dean said. "What a surprise?"**

"**What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked, voice raising.**

"**Well, it's what you do best, isn't it?"**

**And, ouch, that probably hurt Sam, and Dean would regret saying it later, but for now Sam just rolled his eyes and walked out.**

"**Ya know, since we're using books it would've been smart to not piss Sam off. He's better with books than I am."**

**I sat down where Sam had been and looked at the batch of books Sam had left behind. The books were about folklore, myths, and legends from just about every culture in history.**

"**What're you talkin' about? You awesome at research."**

"**Not as good as Sam," I countered. "What was he looking for, anyway. Did he even have a place to start?"**

"**Not really. But we found out that the guy who was killed last night was a research scientist. Animal testing. His office was in Crawford Hall."**

"**Hm…" I picked up a folklore book and started skimming through it. I skipped over the ones I already knew. "Are these ours?"**

"**Well, Bobby's. We borrow them a few at a time and take them back after we're done."**

"**Oh. I didn't know that."**

**Pretty soon I came across this legend called _King of All Stories_. It was about this spider who wanted to be king of all stories. He went to this African god and the god gave him a few conditions - a test - and if he met them, Anansi the spider could become the king of all stories. I was sensing a theme there.**

**Long story short, the spider met the conditions by playing tricks and trapping things. The god had wanted animals for something.**

**Anansi was considered a trickster. How, I didn't know. I mean, you'd think someone would just step on him or something.**

**The whole section below the legend explained what a trickster was. As their named implied, tricksters liked nothing more than to play tricks on people, break the rules, and generally cause all kinds of mischief. Tricksters also liked to trick people with their appearances, often taking the form of talking animals.**

**I highly doubted we were dealing with a talking animal. However, I made a mental note to research further later. I was seeing how Dean was bored. Researching with books was annoying and slow, especially when you're used to using a computer.**

"**Hey, Dean?" I asked softly. "Is the tension between you and Sam only because the computer and the car?"**

"**Yeah, what else would it be?" he asked, expression guarded.**

**I looked at him knowingly. "Things were already messed up enough even before this case."**

"**Right." Dean sounded like he didn't really wanna talk about it, so I didn't push, but then he started talking again anyway. "It's just…Sam couldn't stop himself."**

**Oh. "He was possessed. You're not holding what he did while he was possessed against him, are you?"**

"**No, not really. But Dad fought Yellow-Eyes off, and -" he broke off.**

"**You're wondering if Sam actually tried his best to stop?"**

"**Maybe," Dean admitted guiltily. "I mean, I know he'd never hurt you on his own, but what if he saw what was happening and just gave up?"**

"**Sam never would've stopped fighting," I said firmly. "Not that easily. He would've fought until he couldn't anymore."**

"**You sound really sure."**

"**I am sure. He's stubborn…like you. Seriously, stubborn and Winchester's are practically synonyms."**

**Dean shrugged and smirked. "Yeah, well, we get ii honestly."**

* * *

**Two hours later, I was still in my pajamas, which Dean found amusing for some reason. Why, I didn't know. But the truth was, the reason I was still in my sleepwear was because I'd gotten so consumed in the reading that I'd forgotten what I'd been wearing. And Dean and Sam - he'd been back for a while - were so quiet - aside from the radio - I'd forgotten they were even there.**

**Sam had brought back food even though he'd been angry when he'd left. So we ate and continued research. Or Sam and I did. Dean, who didn't do research unless he had to, was still eating on the bed.**

**Sam and I had been through the books, reading every suicidal-girl-ghost story, which there weren't very many of, and the only thing I kept coming back to was Anansi the spider. It would trick other animals to get kicks out of life. But the two guys were skeptical for the same reason I was: the spider thing.**

**And all other cultures claimed the trickster was a shapeshifter animal that could disguise itself as almost anything, and that it was a demigod, which meant the thing was partly divine, and partly human. Maybe.**

**So putting it all together…the trickster could make you see whatever it wanted you to see. Which meant that if it wanted you to believe it was an animal, it could trick you into believing it.**

**I heard Dean moan from the bed where he was eating. He was making purely orgasmic sounds just from eating chili-cheese fries.**

**I shook my head. Getting pleasure from eating? That was such a Dean thing to do. I mean, he sounded like he was half-way to Happy Land now.**

"**Dude, you mind not eatin' them on my bed?" Sam asked, frustrated by the noise Dean was making.**

"**No, I don't mind," he said, not moving and taking another handful of fries.**

**Sam sighed and rolled his eyes before looking back down at the books in front of him.**

"**How's the research going?" Dean asked, half mocking.**

"**You know how it's goin'? Sam asked. "Slow. You know how it would go a heck of a lot faster? If I had my computer."**

"**And I wouldn't be here annoying you if I had my car."**

"**Dean, I had nothing to do with -"**

"**Guys? Can you put away whatever's bothering you so we can get done with this case?"**

**Sam sighed again, but nodded anyway.**

"**Thank you."**

**I was just about to pick up another book when there was a knock at the door. Both Sam and Dean looked at me.**

"**Oh, don't worry. _I'll_ get it," I said, standing up.**

**I let Bobby, who'd been the one knocking, in and told him hi.**

"**Hey, it's good to see you again so soon."**

"**Well, I asked you to come with us," I teased. "Maybe this is a sign you should've."**

"**Thank God you're here," Dean said, standing up.**

**Bobby shrugged, and looked at Sam. "So…what didn't you wanna talk to me on the phone about?"**

**Sam stood up, too. "It's this job we're working. We weren't sure you'd believe us."**

**Bobby's eyebrows quirked up. "Well, I can believe a lot," he said honestly.**

"**Well, this is weird," I told him. "Like, times infinity."**

"**We've never even seen anything like it," Sam added. "And we thought we could use some fresh eyes."**

**Bobby shrugged again. "Why don't you begin at the beginning?"**

"**Yeah, okay," Sam said, gesturing for Bobby to sit down. "So, Alyson was at the store the other day and she heard about this professor guy jumping out of a window. There's a campus legend that the building's haunted."**

"**Yeah," I said. "This girl I talked to said this other girl killed herself there thirty years ago. Supposedly she jumped out of room 669, but there're only four floors."**

"**We checked out the campus anyway," Dean said. "Twice."**

"**Twice?" What, did you miss somethin' the first time?"**

"**Well, it happens, but no," Sam said, looking at me. "She felt somethin'."**

"**Define something," Bobby requested.**

"**Powerful," I said. "Something that definitely wasn't a ghost. Or if it was, I've never felt one that strong. I mean, it literally knocked me off my feet."**

"**Demon?" Bobby suggested.**

"**No, more powerful than a demon, too."**

**Bobby's eyes widened comically, and then he said, "and you don't know what it was?"**

"**Nope."**

"**You didn't notice anything strange around you? Or you didn't talk to anyone strange?"**

"**I talked to the dean of the school, and then when I got in the parking lot I just sorta…fell over. It hit me all of a sudden, ya know? Anyway, there were only a few people around. Some students and a janitor. He made sure I was okay, I asked him a couple questions, and then I left."**

"**Then we went back and checked with the EMF anyway. Just in case," Sam said.**

"**Did ya find anything?" Bobby asked.**

"**Nope."**

"**Not that they would've noticed," I said. "They've been fighting with each other for the past few days."**

"**Fighting?" Bobby asked. "Why?"**

"**It…we've just been on the road for too long, tight quarters and all that. Don't worry about it."**

**Bobby nodded. "Okay."**

"**Things have been pretty weird, though," I said. "Things have been happening to us since we got here. The day I found out about the professor I left a note, it wasn't here when I got back. My cell phone is missing. Sam's computer got frozen on a porn site, now it's gone. Dean's car is messed up, his tires are flat, the air was let out."**

**Bobby looked thoughtfully between us. "Hm. Did you dig up anything about the building? Or on the suicidal co-ed?"**

"**No," Sam answered. "History's clean."**

"**Then it's not a haunting," Bobby said.**

"**Maybe not. To tell you the truth, we're not really sure."**

"**What'd you mean, you're not sure?"**

"**Well…it's weird. Even for us," Dean said.**

**We summarized Curtis' story about his alien abduction, the probing, slow dancing and all.**

"**Aliens?" Bobby asked in disbelief.**

"**Yeah," Sam and Dean said in unison.**

"**Look, even if they _are_ real, they're sure as hell not comin' to Earth and swiping people."**

"**Hey, believe me, we know," Dean said.**

"**My whole life, I've never found evidence of an honest-to-God abduction. It's all just cranks and pranks."**

"**Yeah, that's what we thought," Sam said. "But we figured we'd at least talk to the guy."**

"**Then the frat guy's just nuts," Bobby replied.**

"**I'm not so sure," Sam said. "We went to where Curtis said it happened and there was a big circle made by some kind of jet engine."**

"**Any connections between the victims?" Bobby asked.**

"**Sorta," I responded. "Crawford Hall is where both things happened. And, um…also they were both sorta…"**

"**Dicks," Dean finished for me.**

"**What he said. Anyway, one was an author who used his fame to get girls, and the other was a pledge master who loved using his power to embarrass people."**

"**And this stuff that's been happening to you guys. Did it happen all at once or…"**

"**No, gradually," I said. "My note and my cell phone first. Then it was Sam's computer. Then the Impala."**

**Bobby looked at Dean. "Did you take his computer?"**

"**It serves him right, but no."**

"**Well, I didn't lose it," Sam claimed. "'Cause I don't lose things."**

"**Oh, that's right," Dean taunted. "'Cause he's Mister Perfect."**

"**Okay, okay. Why don't you just tell me what happened next?"**

"**There was one more victim," Dean said. "Aly saw it."**

**Bobby's attention fell on me. "What happened?"**

"**Well, Dean and I went to get food last night and I heard someone screaming. I went and checked it out. There was this guy…getting eaten by an alligator from the sewer."**

**Bobby was silent for a while, like he didn't know what to think about the alligator in the sewer.**

"**Anyway, this guy was a research scientist. Animal testing."**

"**Yeah, ya know, a dick," Dean said. "Which fits the pattern."**

"**His office was in Crawford Hall," Sam said. "Just like the professor."**

"**It's also where the frat boy had his close encounter," Dean added. "Anyways, I didn't see the gator, but I saw the damage done to my car." He glared at Sam, and Sam rolled his eyes.**

"**We came back that night -well, last night - and decided to call you."**

"**They've been fighting for three days now?" Bobby asked me.**

"**Yup," I answered. "If they didn't kill each other, I was about to lend a hand."**

"**Hey," Sam and Dean said loudly.**

"**I'm surprised at you two," Bobby said to the brothers. "I really am. Sam, first off, Dean did not steal your computer."**

"**Thank you," Dean said smugly.**

"**And Dean, Sam did not touch your car."**

**Sam smirked over at Dean. "Yeah!"**

"**And if you two had bothered to pull your heads outta your asses, it all would've been pretty clear."**

"**What?" Dean questioned.**

"**What you're dealin' with," Bobby clarified.**

"**Uh…" Sam said intelligently. Oh, yes, you could definitely tell he'd been to college.**

**Sam and Dean pondered for a moment before Dean said, "I've got nothin'."**

"**Me neither," Sam said, looking down at the floor.**

"**You've got a trickster on your hands."**

**I looked at the boys. "I _said_ that earlier," I retorted. "But fine, ya know, no one listens to me."**

"**Oh, good. At least one of you has got a brain on ya," Bobby said. "I mean, you guys were the biggest clue."**

"**What do you mean?" Sam asked.**

"**These things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathin'," Bobby explained. "And it's got you so turned around and at each other's throats, you can't even think straight."**

"**The laptop," Sam said.**

"**The tires," Dean added.**

"**It knows you're onto it, and it's been playin' you like fiddles."**

"**So, what is it?" Dean asked, in full-hunter mode now. "Spirit? Demon? What?"**

"**Demigod," I said, and the guys looked at me with 'how do you know this' expressions. "What? While you two were arguing, I was actually researching this."**

"**They're immortal," Bobby added, "and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me. Make 'em vanish just as quick."**

"**You mean, like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator?" Dean asked, catching on.**

**Bobby nodded. "The victims fit the M.O., too. Tricksters target the high and the mighty - knock 'em down a peg, usually with a sense of humor. Deadly pranks, things like that."**

"**Bobby, what do these things look like?" Dean asked.**

**Bobby shrugged. "Lots of things. But human, mostly."**

"**The janitor's been there for a while, and he's the one who found the professor. And he was there when I had my little episode."**

"**We need to check to make sure," Bobby started, "but it sounds like that's your guy."**

"**Okay," Dean said, raring and ready to go. "So, how do we kill it?"**

"**Stake to the heart. There's an old wives tale that says you need blood from its last victim, but I'm pretty sure just the wood'll do."**

**Dean nodded and looked at me. "Stay here, okay?"**

"**What? This thing is seriously powerful, and -"**

"**I know," Dean interrupted, "last time it knocked you off your feet."**

"**I'm not staying here," I said firmly. "I mean, normally, yeah, I would do whatever it is you wanted, but this thing could, like, zap you into another dimension or something, and if I'm here I won't know if something goes wrong."**

"**You stay in the car?" Dean negotiated. "Please?"**

**I sighed, giving in because Dean usually didn't say please. "Fine. But if you guys aren't back in ten minutes, I'm comin' in after you."**

"**Fifteen," Dean said.**

"**Twelve," I countered.**

"**Deal." Dean obviously knew it wasn't gonna get any better than that, so he agreed.**

"**Well, if you're gonna wait in the car," Bobby began, "you're gonna need a car to wait in. I brought new tires. Sam told me last night that you needed them."**

"**Awesome," Dean said.**

* * *

**We had to go to where the car was - the Chinese restaurant - so Dean could put the new tires on. I was kinda surprised the car was still there. With the rate our luck was going I thought the trickster may have moved it. Or maybe a tow truck had.**

**But no, the car was still there. Which was good because Dean would've flipped. Anyway, we waited for Dean to put the new tires on, which didn't take as long as I'd thought it would, and then made a plan to get to the trickster.**

"**We're gonna have to sharpen some stakes," Dean said. "Four of 'em."**

"**I can come?" I asked.**

"**No," Dean said. "That's just in case."**

**I blew a raspberry at him and he grinned.**

"**Can I have my money back now?" Sam asked suddenly. "We proved it wasn't me."**

"**I don't have it on me," I said. "It's at the motel."**

"**Hm." Bobby seemed a little amused. "Why'd you have his money?"**

"**We found his money clip by the car yesterday," I explained. "I told him if we proved it wasn't him who'd messed with the car he could have his money back."**

"**Huh." Bobby looked at us. "Okay, well, I've got wood in the car, so as long as we've got knives we can make the stakes here."**

"**We've got knives," Dean said, heading for the trunk of his car. "Anyway, we posed as DSL cable guys last time, so we can just say we're redoing more offices or somethin'."**

* * *

**Thirty minutes and four sharpened stakes later, Sam and Dean were headed to Crawford Hall in their DSL uniforms. They were gonna stage a fight to trick the trickster. Sam was gonna come back to the car afterwards and Dean was gonna stay on campus. Bobby and I were gonna wait at the car for Sam - it wouldn't take long for him to get there because we were only about half a block from campus - and then we would wait for a few minutes before driving to the parking lot of the school.**

**So Bobby and I were in the Impala, not really doing anything, just sorta enjoying the silence. This was something I could never do with Jack. I would always be wondering if Jack had an ulterior motive. I'd never be able to trust him enough to share a comfortable silence.**

"**So, how ya doin'?" Bobby asked suddenly. "Since…"**

"**Since I freaked out on your staircase?" I joked. "I'm good. Some minutes are more awkward than others, of course. But things are good. Dean's here and Sam is Sam again."**

"**And you have a ring," Bobby remarked, gesturing at my hand.**

**I ran my fingers over the ring, smiling slightly. "Yeah, Dean got it for me."**

"**Wow. It's good you two have each other," Bobby said. "You're lucky. He's lucky."**

"**Yeah, like, surviving a tornado lucky," I said sincerely. "Believe me, I know, how lucky I am. I mean, Dean is a good person. He's a better person than he gives himself credit for and…he makes me happy. Without even tryin', ya know?"**

**Bobby looked like he _did_ know, but he didn't say anything more about it and neither did I. Instead he went back to talking about the ring.**

"**Yeah, I used to see John fiddling with that ring all the time."**

**I looked at Bobby. "John?"**

"**Yeah," Bobby said. "Didn't Dean tell you that the ring belonged to his mom?"**

"**No, he didn't," I said.**

"**Oh, well, you didn't hear this from me, but that ring was the first thing John ever gave Mary. Then they got married and the wedding ring replaced that one."**

"**I thought that…" I trailed off. "Wow. I thought their house burned down."**

"**Just the nursery, actually. Most of the rest of the house wasn't damaged at all."**

**I looked at the ring with a new light. This ring had belonged to Mary, and now because of Dean, it belonged to me. I didn't know how I felt about it now. In a way it made the ring even more special because I knew how much Dean loved his mom. But for the same reason it seemed maybe a little morbid.**

**And why hadn't Dean told me? I mean, I would've understood.**

* * *

**When Sam got back he said that the janitor was, in fact, the trickster. He'd found _Weekly World News_ articles in the guy's locker. Articles that described the three deaths that had taken place on campus.**

**So like we'd planned, we began to wait.**

"**Did you tell Bobby what you did to Dean?" Sam asked, sitting in the driver's seat.**

"**What'd you do," Bobby asked, "knock some sense into him?"**

**I smiled, but shook my head. "Nah. Um…well, I healed him."**

"**Healed him?" Bobby asked. "How?"**

"**I don't know how. I just felt somethin' go through me into him - sorta - and then his shoulder was…healed. No more gunshot wound."**

"**Hm. That's sorta amazing. I've never believed in that. Heard about it; never believed in it."**

"**Yeah, well, I've gotta say, that's one ability I won't mind having. One I won't have to be afraid of hurtin' people with."**

"**How'd Dean take it?" Bobby asked softly. "Did it freak him out?"**

"**Actually, he was pretty un-freaked out," I answered. "I think he thought it was cool."**

"**Well, that's because it is," Sam said.**

**Bobby nodded, looking thoughtful. "It sounds good," he said. "But be careful, okay? A lot of things that _sound_ good usually come with a price."**

"**So…don't get excited?" I asked. "Got it."**

* * *

**When we pulled into the parking lot on campus, Bobby and Sam got out of the car, and I began to wait like I'd said I would.**

**Then I saw a cop - or more precisely, campus security - and I wondered if I should worry about cameras recording the guys, but then I realized that, no, the guys would've taken care of that first.**

**So with nothing else to occupy my mind, I began running through the fact that Dean had given me his mother's ring.**

**I raised my hand and angled it toward the streetlights outside. Maybe Winchester's ring - my ring - shimmered. It didn't look old fashioned at all, and it didn't seem like it had lost any of it's shine either. It had obviously been well kept.**

**Also, it was a perfect fit; it made me wonder if Dean had had to go to a jeweler or if it had just been lucky.**

**I was gonna have to -_have to_ - ask Dean about it. And while I was at it, ask him why he hadn't told me.**

* * *

**I'd waited for twelve minutes like I'd said I would and then I got in the driver's seat and began driving to the front door of Crawford Hall. That wasn't actually part of the plan, but it was the more logical thing to do. Quick escapes and all that.**

**As I went into the building, I was hit with the realization that I didn't know where Sam, Dean, and Bobby were. They could be anywhere in the building, and it could take a while to find them. It wasn't like I could sense them out.**

**But I could, however, sense the trickster out, and chances were that the guys would be wherever _he_ was.**

**I made my way to the staircase and halfway up I felt just a hint of what I'd felt in the parking lot the other day. So I was close, but not _too_ close.**

**It was on the opposite side of the second floor that I began to feel shaky. It wasn't too bad, though. Just enough to make me feel like I'd ran a mile without stopping.**

**I heard something that sounded like a chainsaw, but it couldn't have been, right? We were inside. Who used a chainsaw inside?**

**_The trickster_, I told myself.**

**I moved toward the sound as quick as I could and ended up in front of two sets of double doors. And the noise was definitely coming from inside.**

**I steeled myself against the power I was feeling - the power that threatened to knock me down…again - and went through the doors.**

**I was in an auditorium. Sam, Dean, and Bobby were here. There was a guy with a chainsaw chasing Bobby and Sam. I'd stepped into a _Friday the 13__th_ movie, it seemed.**

**Dean was down near the stage, getting his butt kicked by two girls. Scantily clad girls, might I add.**

**Sam seemed to have the chainsaw guy in control so I went toward Dean, who was now being thrown through the air into the seats by the girls.**

**That's when I saw the trickster. He was in the second row, laughing it up, enjoying the show. There was a stake right in the aisle near where Dean was, and he reached for it, but the Trickster flicked it away with a twist of his wrist. Which was not good because that meant the Trickster had telekinesis. Or something just like it.**

"**Dean…Dean, Dean, Dean," the trickster said, standing up. "I did not wanna have to do this."**

**The stake flew into the trickster's hands, and it actually looked like he was gonna use it on _Dean_.**

**But he didn't.**

**Dean was thrown backward, toward the two women, and the trickster turned to me. I stopped moving.**

"**Well, if it isn't Alyson Daniels, Miss Warrior of Light and sunshine and everything else good in the world."**

"**You know who I am," I stated.**

"**Yup. I've known since I saw you. Could sense you just like you can sense me."**

**I took that in, and looked at Dean. "Let him go."**

**I moved forward, and then the trickster was in front of me. He'd moved from the row and appeared in front of me in a split second.**

"**Why would I do that? He wasn't gonna let _me_ go."**

"**I can convince him to let you go," I lied. I didn't want to let him go either. And it wasn't that I didn't like him; he seemed likable enough. But he was killing people.**

"**You're lying," the trickster said. But he made the girls fade away. Which I had to admit was awesome. You snap your fingers and people go away. Then I watched as he made the stake he was holding turn to dust.**

**I began to inch past him, only to pull out my own stake from my jacket and turn around to try and stab him.**

**_Try_ being the operative word there.**

**He caught the wood between his hands, and then it was a battle of wills, you could say.**

**I could feel as he was trying to throw me back, but it wasn't working.**

"**You're strong," he said, and it sounded like a compliment in a strange way. "For a human."**

**Then he pushed me away with his hand.**

"**Let's see _how_ strong." He sounded like this was just a little game, testing me.**

**I was vaguely aware that the noise from the chainsaw was no longer in the background. Sam had tackled the guy to the ground, apparently, and the chainsaw had turned off somehow.**

**I turned my attention back to the trickster and saw he had the stake floating in midair, flipping it over and over.**

"**What're you doing?" I asked, and then noticed that Dean was coming back to me.**

**The trickster had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Watch this."**

**The stake began whirling toward Dean and in that split second I saw my whole world shattering if I let this happen.**

**My heart started racing, and my breath came in short gasps. My mind kept saying _no!_ over and over again. And then…Dean was thrown backwards again, this time onto the stage. A bed broke his fall. I was pretty sure I'd been the one to throw him this time.**

**The trickster laughed merrily. He was actually enjoying this? Twisted.**

**Then he was being stabbed from behind, and a shocked, pained look came over his face. Like he was wondering how exactly we'd got one over on him. Served him right. It was not his job to dole out punishment.**

**Sam had been the one to stab the trickster. That's what he got for messing with Dean. Speaking of, someone needed to make sure he was okay. He'd been thrown around a lot in the past five minutes. Problem was I felt drained, worn out. Apparently, flinging Dean backwards had been hard work. Before I knew it I was being led to the floor by Sam. It was the first time he'd really touched me at all since the _incident_ from when he'd been possessed. It didn't bother me much because he was being gentle and non-threatening.**

**Not to mention, he let me go as soon as I'd landed on the floor, and I was thankful I hadn't fallen down.**

"**Hey, you okay?" Sam asked, squatting down in front of me.**

"'**M 'kay," I said, feeling like I was about to pass right out. "Dean?"**

"**He's fine," Sam said. "He's fine."**

**It was true. Dean was moving toward us now. I saw that his lip was bleeding and a bruise was already forming on his forehead.**

"**You guys okay?" Dean asked, stopping in front of us, wiping the blood away.**

"**Yeah, I guess," Sam said.**

**Bobby came and sat down beside me. "Chainsaw guy's gone."**

"**Trickster's dead," Sam said, looking at the body on the floor.**

"**Feels like he's still alive," I said, rising shakily off the ground. I looked at the body. "He's not gonna go poof?"**

"**I guess trickster's don't," Dean said, yanking the stake out of the guy's chest. "But I've gotta admit…he had style."**

"**What do we do with him?" I asked.**

"**We leave him here," Bobby said. "We can't move him because someone might see us. Now let's go before somebody comes in here and sees the body."**

"**Yeah," Sam said, agreeing.**

"**Leaving sounds good," I said. "Also…sleep would be awesome right about now."**

"**You good to walk?" Dean asked. "And, by the way, what was with the throwin' me backwards? You couldn't have just taken control of the stake?"**

**I glared at him.**

"**Right," he said. "I'll shut up now. But _are_ you good to walk?"**

"**Yeah, car's right outside." I turned to Dean as we began walking. "Are we leaving tonight?"**

**Sam and Dean exchanged looks and then he said, "nah, we'll leave in the morning."**

"**Awesome," I said thankfully. I just wanted to curl up and sleep.**

* * *

**Before getting into the car the guys apologized - somewhat awkwardly - to each other, and then we drove Bobby to his car near the Chinese place where the Impala had been.**

"**Sam," I asked from the backseat, "can you get a ride back to the motel with Bobby?"**

"**Sure, why?"**

**I looked at Dean and then back at Sam.**

"**Never mind," Sam said, climbing out of the car. "See ya in the room."**

**I scrambled over the front seat and slid down to sit.**

"**Doors!" Dean exclaimed. "Doors!"**

**I grinned half-heartedly. "Can I try to heal you?"**

"**I'm fine," Dean said, sounding amused. "I've had worse."**

"**Yeah, but can I try to see if I can?"**

"**Is this why you sent Sam away?" Dean asked.**

"**No, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. A couple something's actually."**

"**Okay," Dean said, turning in the seat to look at me. "I'm listening."**

**I brought my hand up and brushed my thumb across his bottom lip and a thrill went through me when his lip healed almost instantly. It didn't take as long as the bullet wound had, but that was probably because this wasn't that serious.**

**The bruise on his forehead took longer to heal than his busted lip had, but it went away nonetheless.**

**My hand hadn't glowed this time, but I'd still felt the warmth that had happened before. I guess that went right along with the healing.**

"**Am I freaking you out?" I asked softly. "I mean, I threw you across the room earlier."**

"**To keep me from being made human shish-kebab," he reminded me.**

**I smiled slightly. "Dean, I'm being serious. And I didn't mean to do that. I just - I saw you dying and I couldn't just let that happen. I panicked and -"**

**I was cut off by him placing his lips on mine. It wasn't intrusive at all, and it wasn't even to shut me up, which was probably good because that would've made me angry. It did, however, distract me from what I'd been thinking, and my world became focused on this one moment. Us, here, together. Now.**

**He nipped at my lip and I gasped opening to him, loving the feel of him exploring my mouth. And this was one of those soul-searing kisses that leaves you breathless at the end, leaves you with the feeling that your lips are still connected to each others. Or at least wishing that they were, anyway.**

"**So, you were saying?" Dean asked, panting.**

**I blinked. _What had I been saying?_ Oh…right. My abilities.**

"**Am I freaking you out?" I repeated. "I mean, what I did _demons_ can do."**

**We were so close that when Dean spoke I could feel the warmth in the air as his words reached me. We were breathing the same breath.**

"**You're not a demon," Dean said. "God help me, I don't know what you are, but you're not a demon. When you threw me it was different. It felt different. If I had anything to compare it to, I'd say it felt like safety…it was like I was being wrapped in safety. Light. Warmth. Love. And I _knew_ I was gonna be okay."**

**I couldn't believe what he was saying so I looked - stared - into his eyes. And then I realized Dean wouldn't lie to me about this. He knew how self-conscious and worried my abilities made me, and he wouldn't lie to me about something this important.**

"**That's the last thing I was expecting you to say," I whispered.**

"**Well, you asked." He smiled softly, lifting his hand to stroke my cheek.**

**I leaned in towards his touch, and then grabbed his hand in mine. Our hands landed on my lap.**

"**Dean, uh…there's somethin' else I wanted to say."**

"**Shoot," he said, giving me the go-ahead.**

"**I know…about the ring. I know -" I felt him tense "- it belonged to your mother. What I don't understand is why you didn't tell me." I bit my lip nervously before continuing. "Did you think I wouldn't like it if -"**

"**No. I just…my mom isn't someone I like to talk about. Ya know?"**

**I did know, actually.**

"**How'd you find out, anyway? Sam?"**

"**Bobby," I said. "But he said that I didn't hear it from him. So don't tell him, okay?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Did, um…did John give you the ring?"**

**Dean sighed and nodded. "Right before he died, actually. I didn't understand why he was giving it to me at the time. He told me that this was the promise ring he'd given mom before they'd gotten married, and that I'd know who to give it to when the time was right."**

"**You think he meant me?" I said shakily.**

"**I know he did. He told me not to let you go."**

**_John_ had said that?**

"**He said - he said for me to never take you for granted because you seem like one of the ones who come around once in a lifetime."**

**Again I found myself thinking _John_ had said that. Wow. And here I'd thought he'd never really cared for me all that much.**

"**That was his way of giving his approval, I guess." Dean gave a sad smirk. "Then he gave me this speech about treating you right. He said that it wasn't that he didn't think I would, it was just the natural thing to do. That since your dad wasn't there to give it to me then…he would." Dean squeezed my hand lightly. "I didn't tell you because…honestly, I didn't wanna explain all this. It had nothin' to do with whether I thought you'd understand or not. I knew you'd like it regardless. You probably like _this_ better than anything you could get a Tiffany's."**

"**I do like it better," I said sincerely. "I just wish you'd have told me. I would've understood that you didn't wanna talk about it."**

**I kissed him softly, and then as I pulled away his mouth followed mine and I smiled against him.**

**He moved slowly from my mouth to my jaw line to my neck and I arched backwards to give him better access. I shivered as his teeth grazed against my skin. Before I knew it, I was slowly being lowered into the seat.**

**This was slightly awkward, but it was okay. I could do this. I hoped. Our positions were weird. Dean was between my thighs and one of my legs was caught between him and the steering wheel.**

**He mostly kept his hands to himself and if he _did_ touch me it was over my clothes.**

"**Dean, I -" He moved against me, pressing himself against my center, effectively making me lose my train of thought.**

**He kissed me again and we slowly began thrusting against each other. And for all the intensity and desperation that filled his movements, his touch was gentle. I could tell he was holding back for me. I wanted to tell him to let go, but I didn't know if I could handle it if he did.**

**I heard a low groan come from Dean. It sounded like it had come from deep inside his chest. I suddenly wondered how far Dean wanted to go, and if he might be planning on - well - coming in his pants. Because that's what was gonna happen if he kept going.**

"**Dean, you're…"**

"**I know," he grunted. "I don't care."**

**With that said, I let myself go. I let myself enjoy this as much as was possible. This was the weirdest way of getting off we'd ever done. We were fully clothed, for goodness sake.**

**On his next thrust he angled upwards and I bucked up toward him. He placed his hands on my hips and squeezed lightly, pleasantly. He kept me from moving much, but it wasn't like he was forcing me down. It was more because he was trying to hit my little bundle of nerves every time.**

**He started moving faster and harder, and my breaths started coming in short frenzied gasps. My stomach tightened in that pleasantly familiar way, and…**

"**Dean!" I breathed out. I wasn't being loud like I usually was. I was quieter, softer.**

**I started shivering beneath him, and I wrapped my arms around him.**

**He slipped his head in the crook of my neck and now our chests were touching and then he tensed, spasming, and then about a minute later he was trembling against me.**

**I began rubbing soothing circles on his back and he breathed kisses onto my lips.**

"**You're okay," he whispered, and it was then that I realized I was still shivering. Hard. He lifted up slightly and looked at me. I could see in the light that Dean was flushed and his face was glistening with sweat. "You're okay.**

**He kissed me tenderly on the lips once and then on the head.**

"**Hey, uh…we're gonna have to get out own room tonight, okay?" Dean asked. "There's no way Sam can see me like this. He'd never let me live it down."**

"**Live what down?" I asked.**

"**Uh, the fact that I totally lost control like a horny teenager."**

**I giggled breathlessly. "Right, well, there are worse things."**

"**You're still shivering," Dean said, worried. "Are you okay?"**

**I cupped his cheek, my hand shaky. "You're not exactly steady yourself." He was still trembling.**

**I leaned up to kiss him, and found that neither one of us was able to keep still. And I wondered why, since we'd done stuff like this before, that this time was so different.**


	43. My Own Journey Pt One

**Okay, so this one picks up right where the last chapter left off. Also putting a warning on this one, too, because there's some naughty stuff in this one.**

**My Own Journey  
Part One**

**The ride back to the motel was silent - not tense, but still silent - and when we arrived I went in to get a room and then to get Dean's and my stuff.**

"**You're getting your own room?" Sam asked. "Is this 'cause Dean and I were fighting? 'Cause that's over now. We know it was the Trickster."**

"**No, it's not that," I said. "Just…we wanna be alone tonight."**

"**Relationship stuff," Sam said. "Right. Well, I'll just stay here with Bobby, then."**

"**Okay," I said softly. It sounded like maybe he was either jealous or feeling left out or maybe even resentful. "Well, just…okay."**

**I didn't know what else to say because I'd never had to deal with Sam being this way before. So I turned to Bobby.**

"**So, you're comin' with us tomorrow?"**

"**Yeah, like you said, this seems like a sign."**

"**Well, good." I smiled. "I wanted you to come with us, anyway." I picked up Dean's bag with one hand, mine with the other. "Well, I'll see you guys in the mornin', I guess."**

* * *

**When I got to the room I saw that Dean had taken his shirt off already and was in the middle of removing his pants.**

"**Here," I said, handing him his bag, and placing mine on the floor.**

**My eyes studied the smooth lines of his chest and then went up to his face. Dean had been somewhat uncomfortable on his way back here what with the mess he had in his pants. And he seemed to be in a hurry to get them off.**

**I moved towards him and put my hands on top of his. His pants were already unzipped and unbuttoned, and they were hanging temptingly low on his hips. He'd been about to push them down when I'd stopped him.**

"**Let me," I requested, dragging on the sides of his jeans, lowering them so he could step out of them. I noticed there was a tent in his boxer-briefs. I grinned slightly. "Right away again?"**

**Dean shrugged, unashamed. "You're undressing me. It's a natural reaction."**

**I shook my head. "For you, maybe."**

"**Well, maybe I should undress you, see what kind of reaction _you_ have," he teased.**

**Me? Undressed, doing this? "Dean, I don't know if I can -" I broke off, slightly frustrated at myself. "I'm just not sure."**

"**Hey -" he cupped my face with both hands "- it's okay. Really. I get it."**

**I leant in and kissed his palm - a silent thank you between us. I removed his boxers, smiling because of the mess. It wasn't funny, really, but then again it kinda was. Dean Winchester, Ladies Man, had come in his pants.**

**I swung them away from us and ran one of my hands up his chest to his neck and circled around to bring him closer so I could kiss him. I heard the soft thud of his bag hitting the floor.**

**And this - him being naked - was okay. I didn't feel vulnerable this way.**

**I felt his tongue tickle over the roof of my mouth and I caught on it and sucked lightly as he began massaging my scalp softly.**

**My hand found its way to his arousal, and I stroked gently.**

"**Aly," he moaned. "Bed."**

**I led him backward and when he fell on the bed I landed on him. I gasped out a breath as our chests touched.**

**I broke away and latched onto his neck and nipped playfully. "My shirt," I said against him. Apparently, I'd changed my mind about the no clothes concept.**

**He grabbed the hem of my shirt and I lifted my arms so he could take it off. His hands fell to rest on my sides and he used his thumbs to circle soothingly over my skin.**

"**This okay?" he asked gruffly.**

"**Yeah, I think," I answered shakily. "Just…" I trailed off when his hand touched the front of my jeans and I froze for a second. I looked in his eyes and then grabbed his hand in mine. "Wait."**

"**We can stop," he said. I knew he didn't _want_ to stop, but the fact that he was willing to helped ease my panic. A little bit, anyway.**

"**No stopping," I said. "Just…no stopping." I didn't know what else to say other than that. I was testing myself, my boundaries. I knew for a fact that I was no longer ready to be with him fully. I had been before, but not anymore. I wanted to see what I could do without freaking out on him.**

**His hands slowly slid with mine to unfasten my jeans. I removed my hands from his, and his thumbs went beneath the waistband and pushed lightly. I worked with him to get them off. It was a little difficult since I was on top of him. His straining erection was caught between our stomachs and I moved a little to cause friction and I smiled when he moaned.**

**He moved to sit up, and then I was straddling his thighs and our chests were no longer touching. His hands came to rest on my hips to tug on my panties.**

"**On, please," I said softly, again frustrated by my own weakness. "I'm sorry, it's -"**

"**It's okay," he said, voice straining but reassuring at the same time. "I can work around it."**

**He made good on his word and his palm found it's way between my legs. He pressed softly and I took a sharp breath. He used his fingers to move the material away and then there was direct contact.**

**I bucked against him and whimpered - actually _whimpered_. I reached down and ran my hand over his shaft once before kissing him.**

**I felt a finger circle my entrance and I felt a few seconds of blind panic, but then I relaxed, remembering who I was with.**

"**Do it," I sighed against his lips.**

**And then I moaned as the digit went in. I pressed down to take his finger in deeper, and then there were two. His fingers were searching, trying to find that spot inside that would make me see stars. When he found it, I ground down onto him as hard as I could, and begged him to go faster.**

**Usually, when we were doing this I let him control the speed, but this time he was leaving it up to me. It made me feel self-conscious yet empowered at the same time.**

**I had one hand on his cock, the other on his shoulder to balance myself. I started rocking against his fingers, timidly at first, and then when I found that it wasn't that hard to find a steady rhythm, I moved more assuredly.**

**My head found purchase on his shoulder, where I breathed in his scent. It was musky and male, and purely _Dean_.**

**Dean used his thumb to start circling my clit again and my breath got caught in my chest.**

"**Ungh…keep doing that," I said softly as I sped up my hand on his cock.**

"**Aly!" he voiced. He wasn't usually so vocal - I was the one who was usually loud - but I didn't mind. I preferred it this way, actually. Dean wouldn't come apart and lose control of himself for just anyone; it made me feel privileged that he allowed himself to do that around me.**

**My movements became more rapid and erratic, the higher my pleasure got.**

**I cried out softly the next time he hit that spot inside, and I moved against him. I wanted to get as close as humanly possible.**

**His hips started moving as if of their own accord, and his free hand wrapped around my waist.**

"**Let go," he whispered. "Come for me."**

**And, oh God. That had been the sexiest order in the history or orders, and then after he circled my clit a couple more times, I obeyed.**

**I fell apart on top of him, his arm wrapped snugly around me. My back arched and my head fell back. My legs tightened around his thighs, and my whole body started shuddering. The hand that was resting on his shoulder, tightened and dug into his flesh.**

**My body clenched around his fingers and then _he_ was arching against _me_. His cock was pulsating in my hand and we helped each other ride out the intense pleasure that was consuming us.**

**I slumped against him, feeling like I was gonna pass out. Tears filled my eyes - quite inappropriate considering what had just happened.**

"**We are really messy," Dean said softly, removing his fingers and fixing my underwear.**

**I let out a soft sob, putting my head back on his shoulder.**

"**Hey, what's wrong?" Dean asked, concerned. "Did I hurt you?"**

**I shook my head. "No, you…you did everything right."**

"**So, you're crying 'cause everything's okay?" Dean sounded incredulous, like he'd just learned one of the many wondrous things that he didn't understand about women.**

"**Yes. I guess I am," I said. "I know it's weird, but I didn't think I could do this, and then I _did_ and I'm just glad it didn't come between us.**

**He fell backward and I landed on him much like I had before. And then I realized we really _were_ a mess. Dean's spunk was smooshed between our bodies, and we really needed to shower.**

"**You know, it wouldn't have mattered to me," Dean said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, _this_ was amazing but there's more to us that this. We actually do other relationship stuff…and this isn't the only thing we're good at."**

**I kissed his shoulder softly before saying, "I love you…so much right now. You have no idea how much."**

"**I think I have a pretty good idea, actually," he said, turning to press his lips to my hair.**

"**Mm…" I went to sit back up, but found myself too weak to do it. Two intense orgasms seemed to have taken it's toll on me. My limbs seemed to be made of jelly right now. "Dean…I can't move."**

**Dean laughed softly. "Well, I don't mind you bein' this close."**

"**But we're all sticky," I complained lightly. "And I'm tired."**

"**A'right, a'right," Dean said, moving me gently off of him and onto my back. He moved to the foot of the bed and grabbed his shirt, wiping me off and then himself. Then he threw it back down on the floor, and slipped back down beside me, yanking a sheet over us.**

"**Come here, you," he said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer.**

**I was asleep almost as soon as my head touched his chest.**

* * *

**The next morning when I woke up, I found that we were still tangled up in each other. Only I'd rolled over and my back was to his chest now. The beat of his heart thudding against me was a very powerful thing. It brought me peace, and a sense of calm, serenity, that I hadn't felt in a long time.**

**I could tell Dean was awake because he was rubbing his hand up and down my ribs. I turned over and saw that even though Dean was awake, his eyes weren't open.**

**It took me a minute to settle down again because I'd noticed when I'd moved that my thighs were sore.**

"**Good morning," he said, without opening his eyes.**

"**Mm. Mornin'," I said, pressing a kiss to his chest. "I think Sam's sorta jealous." I didn't know what had made me say that, it was just the first thing that had popped into my head.**

"**What?" Dean asked, and now he did open his eyes. "About what?"**

"**Us?" I said with uncertainty in my voice. "I don't know. It's just the way he sounded when I said we wanted to be alone last night."**

"**He was probably just havin' a bitch attack," Dean said nonchalantly. "He'll get over it."**

"**Yeah, but what if he doesn't?" I asked, smiling at the use of the phrase 'bitch attack'.**

**He pulled me closer. "Then he'll just have to deal."**

**His hold was possessive. It left no doubt that he thought of me as his, and that he had no intention or sharing with anyone.**

* * *

**Three hours later, we were in the middle of Indiana heading southeast. Corydon was near the Indiana/Kentucky border, and that's where we needed to be.**

**Anyway, Dean had been right, it seemed, because whatever had been bothering Sam the night before wasn't bothering him now. Maybe he was just happy that he'd gotten his computer back. It had turned up in his case for it, and then my phone ended up back in my purse.**

**I'd had a dozen messages from the attorney about the house and which account he'd put the money into. I'd called to tell him that I'd misplaced my phone and that I was sorry I hadn't gotten in touch with him sooner.**

"**So, how, exactly, did Jack say this priest guy can help you?" Dean asked, turning the radio down.**

"**He didn't, exactly. He just said James Murphy could answer questions that he couldn't, and that James was the one who translated the prophecy thing. That he would know more than Jack does."**

"**Which he obviously does," Sam said, "since a demon tried to kill him for wanting to talk to you."**

"**You mean, since _Meg_ tried to kill him," I added bitterly.**

"**Right," Sam replied softly.**

**The short conversation grew silent and Dean turned the radio back on.**

* * *

**When we reached Corydon, we called Jack to find out where we were supposed to go. We told him where we were and he told us to look for a Walmart that had a Long John Silver's on the opposite side of it.**

**So we were actually in town? Cool. I'd thought we'd be out in the boondocks somewhere.**

**After we made sure we were in the right place, we called Jack again. He said we were on the main road and to just keep heading straight until we reached a pizza place and then make a left. Keep following the road until we reached a cemetery. He'd meet us there, and we could follow him to James Murphy's place. And Bobby, in turn, would follow us.**

**When we got to the cemetery we saw the electric blue Charger and pulled in behind it. Jack got out, as did we and he actually seemed like he wanted to hug me. We hadn't hugged since he'd been back and it was slightly awkward, but it seemed to make Jack happy, so I dealt with it.**

"**Is he out of the hospital?" I asked, pulling myself away and going back to the safety that was Dean Winchester.**

"**James Murphy is at his home. He's fine. Shocked, maybe, but fine."**

"**Was this guy a hunter, _ever_?" Dean asked.**

**Jack nodded. "His specialty was always exorcisms. I don't understand how _this_ demon got the jump on him, actually."**

"**Old age?" I suggested. "Took him by surprise?"**

"**Possible," Jack said. "Oh…um, before we go…this guy's kind of _eccentric_ for a priest."**

"**Like crazy-eccentric or cool-eccentric?" Dean asked. "I mean, Jim was okay, but we've never met his dad."**

"**He's not dangerous, if that's what you're getting at." Jack said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. There was something else there too. Pleasure? Happiness? Acceptance? Whatever it was, it had to do with Dean. Maybe he'd finally realized that Dean was what I wanted, and that he was good for me.**

"**What I meant by eccentric was that he does things that are sorta unorthodox. Rituals and things like that."**

"**So he's a witch doctor or somethin'?" Sam asked, interested.**

"**Uh, simply put, yes."**

"**What have you been up to since you've been gone?" I asked Jack curiously, as Bobby walked up to me.**

"**Not very much. A couple hunts, but that's it."**

"**Hm…"**

"**Enough chit-chat?" Jack asked, amused again.**

"**Yes," I said, smiling. "Quite enough, thanks."**

* * *

**When we arrived at the priest's place I saw it was a small cabin, which looked like it'd been well kept. The cabin was made of dark wood and it blended into the trees around it. It looked like a picture from a scenic photograph.**

**There was a stone pathway leading to the front steps but if you followed it the other way it led to a beautiful wood path. I heard water so there must've been a creek or a stream nearby.**

**To get here we'd had to go past the town and now we were in country area. But it wasn't isolated, so there were actually neighboring houses.**

**Things were unbelievably green even though it was winter.**

**Jack went up to the door first and knocked and Sam, Dean, Bobby, and I went up after him. I grabbed onto Dean's jacket sleeve nervously and he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to his side.**

**When the door opened I saw an older man, maybe in his late sixties or early seventies.**

"**You're back," the man said to Jack. "With the visitors."**

"**Yeah. They're all demon-free, so don't worry," Jack said with sincerity and amusement in his voice.**

"**They couldn't get in here if they were," the man claimed. I assumed he was James Murphy. Or Father Murphy. Whichever he preferred. "Come in," he said, moving aside to let us in.**

**We all made our way to wherever he decided to lead us after we were all inside. We ended up in a kitchen. It wasn't cramped up at all. There was more room then the outside had suggested.**

"**Allow me to make the introductions," Jack said.**

"**They can't introduce themselves?" James asked wryly.**

"**Of course they can," Jack said lightly. "My mistake."**

"**I'm James Murphy," he said, looking at us. "But since you're in my house, I hope you know that."**

"**I'm Bobby," Bobby said, stepping forward.**

**When Sam and Dean introduced themselves James seemed to know who they were already. Then when I introduced myself he seemed to be surprised by my last name.**

"**She's my daughter," Jack explained and then looked at me. "I didn't tell him anything because I didn't know what you wanted him to know."**

"**Oh." I turned to James. "Did he tell you why we wanted to see you?"**

"**Nope, just wondered if I was up to company who wanted to ask something about somethin' old."**

"**The Warrior of Light prophecy."**

**James looked shocked and then angry. "That's not your business," he said bluntly and harshly. Then he looked at Jack. "What'd you tell her for? She's but a child -"**

"**Sir, wait…" I was starting to get a weird feeling about this - not supernatural, but weird nonetheless. "This _is _my business…I'm _her_."**

"**Her who?" James asked.**

"**The Warrior," Sam, Dean, and I said.**

**James sat on one of the chairs. "The hell you say."**

"**Is he allowed to say that?" Dean whispered to me and I had to suppress a laugh.**

"**Can you prove it?" James asked.**

"**Your son knew," Jack said. "He's the one who came to me."**

**James stood back up. "I need a drink."**

"**Dad said you saw the prophecy before he destroyed it," I said, hoping it would prompt him to speak.**

"**Yes, I did."**

**James went to a cabinet and took out a bottle of brandy - maybe - and took a swig.**

"**Do you remember anything specific?" Jack asked.**

"**My memory's as good as ever," James replied smartly.**

**And okay, he was weird for a priest, but if he could help then, whatever. Besides, Jack had warned us.**

"**I still want proof," James requested. "I'm not gonna give information to someone I don't know."**

"**I can heal myself," I said. "Your son knew…did he not tell you?"**

"**Sadly, that boy hardly ever told me anything." James sighed, sitting down again. He seemed weary. "How do I know I can believe you?"**

"**Because she's my daughter," Jack said firmly. "Now, it's true you don't know her, but you know me. And you know I would never bring her here to lie to you."**

"**Please," I said, stepping towards him. "If you can help me…just…please. I know you've been through a lot what with getting attacked and all, but…I need your help."**

"**With what? If you really are who you say you are then you're pretty powerful all by your lonesome."**

"**My abilities are not under my control," I admitted. "They're just…"**

"**How do you view your abilities?" he asked suddenly.**

"**Well…some of 'em are okay. I mean, they're useful, don't get me wrong, but at least one of them is dangerous."**

"**You're not dangerous," James said automatically. "Your abilities are…" he trailed off.**

"**Yes?" I breathed.**

"**They come from a place of compassion and nurturing and unconditional love."**

**James stood up and left the room, beckoning us to follow him.**

**Sam and Dean exchanged glances with Bobby, who shrugged and began to follow the former priest. The rest of us followed Bobby, and then we were traveling down a short hallway.**

**There were various scenic drawings hanging from the walls - mountains, rivers, valleys. And then we reached the living room. There was an entertainment center, but there was no TV. Only a radio and the rest was covered with books. Religious type books from just about every culture.**

**There was a loveseat and two chairs with a coffee table between them. In the center of the table was a much-used Bible with various sticky-note things poking out of the side.**

"**Well, make yourselves comfortable," James said kindly. "This may take a while. You can tell me about your abilities, what you're havin' problems with, and I'll try and help."**

"**I-uh…okay."**

**James took one of the chairs, Bobby took the other. Sam and Jack were on the loveseat, and Dean and I sat side by side on the floor.**

"**Um…the first time I realized I could do anything at all was in June. There was a demon and I got hurt…and I healed. I was happy. Ya know, um, I wasn't dead or hurting so…yay, right?"**

**James smiled kindly, a twinkle in his eyes. "That's one way to look at it."**

"**I can sense things. It's different for different things. Sometimes it's stronger depending on what it is I'm feeling."**

"**You're like a TV," James said confidently. "Most people can't perceive the paranormal at all. It's like they're on a different frequency altogether. Most people can only tune into one frequency at a time. You, on the other hand, can tune into almost any frequency out there. You're like one of those fancy double or triple screened TV's."**

"**I've never been called a TV before -" I grinned "- but, yeah, guess you're right." I sobered pretty quickly. "Um…I can keep people out of my head. Sometimes it's harder than other's but…it works most of the time. It's harder to take the wall down than it is to build it up, actually. Um…I astral-projected one time, it lasted maybe fifteen minutes."**

"**Why'd you do it? And how?"**

"**Um -" I looked at Dean and he nodded "- Dean was unconscious and _he_ was astral projecting. I fell asleep and he sorta called me to him, I guess."**

"**Hm. Go on."**

"**Uh, I don't know if this is the same ability or not, but I blew out all the windows in a church one time, and I can move things with my mind."**

"**Your heart," James corrected.**

"**What?" Dean asked.**

"**That's where her power comes from," James explained. "Her heart. That's where her compassion and love comes from so therefore it's also where her power lies."**

"**Was that in the prophecy?" I asked.**

"**The prophecy was very specific about that in its own vague way. It said that your power comes from within, whereas your abilities come from an outside force of good." He took another sip of brandy, smiling softly. "You can heal people, too, correct?"**

"**Y-yes," I said hesitantly. "I've only done it twice, though."**

"**No doubt, somethin' that made you extremely…_happy_…triggered that response?" He looked between Dean and me knowingly.**

"**Yeah." I bit my lip nervously. "And, uh, demons…I can pull them out of people. Or one person, actually, since it's only happened once. I'm not sure I could do it again."**

**James narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "That is probably your problem right there. You have no confidence in your abilities and you haven't accepted them all as a part of yourself."**

"**What? Yes, I have," I said, somewhat indignantly.**

"**No. The more explosive one…earlier you said _they_ were dangerous and not yourself. Which means you maybe consider them to be something outside yourself."**

"**You said I wasn't dangerous, and I'm not but they - my abilities can make me dangerous because I can't control them. When my emotions get out of control my abilities go haywire."**

"**Do you _want_ to be able to control them?"**

"**Well…ye-" I began to say 'yeah', but then I stopped. "No. I want to be able to control _myself_."**

**James grinned. "Good job. Nice distinction." And he took another sip. "Now about that prophecy."**

**I settled in closer to Dean. "Great."**

"**I'm warnin' you now that I only know the basics because I'm not a great translator. The tablet was in Aramaic and we couldn't take it to an actual translator. Jack had this thing about protectin' the person it was about. Now I know why."**

**I smiled in Jack's direction. "Yeah, well, anything you could tell us would be great."**

"**Well, first and foremost…you have a purpose here, you're not here by chance. Now, before you ask, the prophecy didn't say what, exactly, but it hints."**

"**At what I'm supposed to do?"**

"**Sort of. It talks about your opposite. Your abilities come from good; this other person's abilities will come from darkness."**

**Sam. We'd learned this already. As far as I knew only Dean and I knew he was supposed to be my opposite. And only Dean and I knew my opposite was supposed to somehow, someway, kill me someday.**

"**There is to be a battle and one of you will die - one will kill the other. The word the prophecy used was _destroy_."**

"**Do you know who this opposite is?" Sam asked.**

"**No idea," James said. "Let's just hope the prophecy's wrong."**

"**Yeah," Dean said emphatically.**

"**The next thing - or two things, actually - is a little vague and hard to understand."**

"**I'll keep that in mind," I said softly. "What?"**

"**I tried and tried to put this in other words but I kept coming up with the same thing. It was 'gift' and 'humanity'. Now, there was a word between them that was either 'of' or 'to' but I couldn't decipher it."**

"**Am I human?" I asked, remembering one of the questions I'd asked Jack before.**

**James laughed gleefully. "Definitely. That's what makes you so strong."**

**I smiled, relieved.**

"**The other thing is vague as well. It said you're 'protector of the Righteous' something. There was a word there, too, that I couldn't translate. It was either 'Man' or 'One'."**

"**She's supposed to protect someone who's righteous?" Dean asked. "She protects people everyday."**

"**That's just what the prophecy said," James looked at me again. "Were you worried that you weren't human? Is that what's holding you back?"**

**I shrugged. "I never really thought of it in those terms. Maybe."**

"**Hm…have you ever heard of a vision quest?"**

"**Um, yeah. It's an old Native American ritual thing. Why? Do you think I need to do that?"**

"**It will help you deal with things. Before you can look to the future you must accept the past and present."**

"**How does that work?" Bobby asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.**

"**Well, mostly…I put a few herbs and things together and chant - maybe - and she'll go into a trance."**

"**That sounds a little dangerous," Dean said.**

"**Well, she'll be here. You can watch her if you want. But her subconscious will be traveling around, getting past…roadblocks - in a way." He turned to me. "You'll wake up somewhere else, but you won't really be there, so don't panic. You may have to wait wherever you are for a few minutes, but sooner or later a guide will come to you. Could be an animal, could be a human. Just don't be scared. Nothing can hurt you in your dream state."**

**I looked at Dean and then down at the floor. "I don't know. Will it take very long?"**

"**It normally only takes a day or two."**

"**And nothing can go wrong?" I questioned. "And it'll help?"**

"**No, nothing, to the first, and yep, to the second…if you'll let it help."**

**I looked at Dean, the question in my eyes flowing between us.**

"**It's up to you," he said softly and sincerely.**

**I nodded and grabbed his hand before turning back to James.**

"**Okay, I'll do it.**

* * *

Okay, so I hope I did the sex stuff right. I wanted to get across that while Alyson was scared/nervous that she didn't want to disappoint Dean, and then while Dean really wanted to do what they were doing, he didn't want to scare her further by being forceful or anything like that. And that's what I came up with. As always, let me know what you think. Thanks. :)


	44. My Own Journey Pt Two

**Okay, just saying I've never been on a vision quest. LOL. So I only know the basics. And I know, it's supposed to take longer but I took liberties for the sake of moving the story along.**

**My Own Journey  
Part Two**

**Two hours after I'd agreed to do this vision quest thing I was in the priest's bed. I felt kind of guilty because I didn't know how long this was gonna take and I didn't want to keep him from sleeping.**

**I'd drank this awful tasting stuff - he'd said it would help relax me - and then he'd started burning incense around me.**

**My eyes started getting droopy and he hadn't even started chanting yet.**

"**Just find your center and fade into it," James said softly. "Think of some place where you'd be safe and comfortable if you were alone."**

* * *

**The sound of waves gently rolling back and forth was what woke me up…or whatever. I was in my dream state now.**

**I sat up. I was on a beach - an island beach. The sand was soft and not scratchy. The water was blue. The sun was behind me, bearing down on me pleasantly. There was a gentle breeze blowing, and the smell of the ocean was in the air.**

**I'd seen quests like what I was supposed to be on in movies and things like that, where the person's vision was hazy or things were in sepia tone, but this wasn't like that. This felt real, and looked real, too.**

"**It's beautiful here, isn't it?" a voice suddenly said from beside me, and surprisingly, I didn't jump. I knew that voice. I hadn't heard it in almost a year, but I knew it.**

"**Mom."**

**I looked, and sure enough, there she was. She was wearing a white flowing dress and her hair was blowing softly in the breeze. She was even more beautiful than I remembered, as cliché as that sounded.**

"**Are you…are you my spirit guide?"**

"**Well, I guided you through most of your life…I thought it was appropriate."**

**I smiled brightly, but felt my eyes mist over, too.**

"**Are you touchable?" I asked. "Can I hug you?"**

"**It's your subconscious, you can do whatever you want," she teased.**

**I maneuvered myself so I could grasp her tightly. I smothered my face into her hair. She even smelled like the shampoo she'd used before. And some kind of fruit, too, but I didn't have an explanation for that.**

"**I have no idea what's happening to me," I said, the tears spilling over. "I'm just-I'm just so confused right now."**

**Her hands rubbed over my back and my hair soothingly like she'd done when I'd been little.**

"**You know, if you asked any other eighteen year old girl, she'd probably say the same thing," Mom answered lightly, before sighing. "I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine, but I can't tell the future. Neither can you. I can only tell you what I've been told. The rest is up to you." She petted my hair once more. "Anyway, this whole Warrior of Light business. It's not gonna be as bad as you think. You're stronger than your abilities. They won't consume you."**

**I sniffed once before pulling away from her embrace. "I thought you couldn't tell the future."**

**She smiled gently. "I can't, but I know you." She stood up and put out her hand for me to take. "Let me show you the way."**

"**Where are we going?" I asked, now standing with her.**

**For the first time I noticed the trees that had been behind me. They were tall and pretty.**

"**Start walking," Mom said.**

"**To where?" I asked, going towards the greenery.**

"**Other way."**

**I turned around to say the only other way was the water, but the water was no longer there. As a matter of fact, the _beach_ was no longer there. We were in a desert now.**

"**Uh…okay."**

"**Hey, this is your playground. I'm just visiting," Mom said playfully.**

* * *

**Time passed slowly as we moved through the desert. We seemed to be going absolutely nowhere. The scenery stayed the same. And I didn't understand how this was supposed to help me any.**

"**It's because you're not opening yourself up to the experience," Mom said, as if she'd been reading my mind. "Are you scared of what you'll see?"**

"**No?" I said uncertainly. "You said you were gonna show me."**

"**Will you allow me to, though? What if you don't like what you hear?"**

"**About what?"**

"**You. Sam. Dean. Everything that's a part of you now."**

"**Dean?" Funny how that was the only word that stuck out in my mind.**

"**He can't protect you forever."**

"**What?"**

"**One day…he won't be there and you're gonna have to go on without him." She wasn't sounding mean; she was sounding…sympathetic. "But he'll come back to you. He will."**

"**Where's he gonna go?"**

**Mom grimaced. "You don't wanna know."**

"**Yes, I do," I whispered.**

"**Okay, but just remember you asked for it."**

**She brought her hand up to my cheek and suddenly I wasn't in the desert anymore. I was in a place of death. I could smell sulfur and blood. And…burning flesh? I could hear agonized screams, and I could feel evil and hopelessness washing over me in waves. There was no doubt in my mind that I was in hell.**

"**Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" I screamed loudly, and then suddenly…I was in the desert again. I was on my knees and I didn't know how I'd gotten that way.**

**I looked up at my mom, almost defiantly. "Dean is _not_ gonna go there. I won't let him."**

"**There's nothing you can do," she said softly. "When the time comes…you won't be able to save him. You may kill yourself trying…but you won't be able to save him."**

"**Why? I have all these abilities…why won't I be able to save him? That doesn't make any sense."**

"**It's true, you can do a lot of things. Bringing people back from the dead, however, is not one of them. You can heal people only if they're meant to be healed. You can't cure sickness, only injuries. And even then it depends on how bad they're hurt. You must be careful with this gift. It can drain you of your strength faster than any of the others. You'll understand one day."**

"**I thought the whole point of this quest was for me to understand _now_!" I said impatiently.**

**Suddenly, Mom looked alarmed. "He's coming."**

"**Dean?"**

"**No. _Him_." She pointed out into the distance in front of us. I saw the shadow of a man. Tall…with shaggy hair. Sam.**

"**It's only Sam. He won't hurt you."**

"**That's _not_ Sam," Mom said firmly.**

**As Sam came closer I realized he was wearing an all white suit. It was weird, considering we were in the desert…but then again, Mom was wearing a white dress.**

"**You won't win, Alyson," Sam said, coming closer still.**

"**What?" That was weirdly out of context.**

"**You'll be the good girl, sure, and you'll always do the right thing. Everyone will love you, but you won't win."**

**Mom had been right. This wasn't Sam. It sounded like him, and looked like him, but…it wasn't. This Sam said his words way to properly, and he spoke as if he were from a different time.**

"**Ignore him," Mom said. "And go past him."**

"**I _will_ destroy you."**

* * *

**I had indeed walked right past Sam - or whoever that had been - and ignored him. But that had been what seemed like hours ago.**

"**This isn't helping me at all," I complained. "The only good thing that's happened is that I got to see you again."**

**I brought my hand up to swipe sweat out of my eyes and when I opened them…we were back on the beach.**

"**Really?" I asked, frustrated. "I'm right back where I started."**

"**With the knowledge of your two greatest fears," Mom said. "That you try to keep hidden, but you can't anymore. That's not how you deal with things. It's not how _I_ taught you to deal with things."**

"**But…if it's fate like that stupid prophecy says…then I can't change it."**

"**Maybe you won't have to. Maybe things will work out. You don't know…won't know until it happens." Mom looked towards the sky as if someone was calling her. "I have to go now," she said sadly.**

"**What? But I'm not done."**

"**No, you're not. But I am." She brought her hand up to my cheek. "I'm sorry. I want you to know that I am _so_ proud of you."**

**My tears came back full-force.**

"**I love you. And I think you and Dean are great together, even if Jack has his problems with it."**

**I smiled sadly. "Thank you. I love you."**

"**Bye, sweetie."**

**I swallowed down a lump. "Good-bye."**

**She disappeared and I sat down on the sand where I'd been at the beginning, and I was alone again. I'd made it back to where I'd started. I'd found out that Dean - maybe - wasn't gonna be with me in the future, that Sam - or someone using Sam's body was gonna 'destroy' me. I still felt the same. How had this helped?**

**Suddenly there was golden light surrounding me. It was warm and safe and comforting. It felt like…home.**

"**Alyson."**

"**Um…yeah?" There was a shape in the light, but I couldn't make out who I was talking to. It was a man, though, I knew that much. "Is this-is this real?"**

"**It's very much real." His voice was kind and welcoming. "James Murphy is right. You need to accept who you are and what you can do. What you were meant to do. Your abilities don't define you, but they are a part of who you are."**

**I'd told Sam that before…it was weird having my own words thrown back at me like that.**

"**Everything about me makes me who I am. Not just one thing."**

"**Exactly," the voice applauded a job well done, even though a little kid could have figured it out.**

"**And…my mom was right? My abilities won't consume me?"**

"**They _can't_ consume you unless you allow them to. _Don't_ allow that to happen. It's your humanity that gives you your greatest strength and ability of all."**

"**What ability is that?" I asked, hushed, and also wondering if I had to worry about losing my humanity. The way the words had been phrased it made it sound like the stronger I got, the less human I would become.**

"**Your ability to love. And your ability to always know what's right and what's wrong."**

**The light began to fade, but the warmth and comfort stayed.**

"**Your quest is now complete," the voice said from far away. "You can wake up when you're ready."**

* * *

_**My eyes opened slowly but instead of being in the bed that I'd expected to be in, I realized I was in the woods, and it was raining. Unlike the vision quest had been, it was dark here.**_

_**I sat up slowly and oddly thought that my body felt disproportionate to how I usually felt. I stood up and my clothes clung to my body.**_

_**I had a weird sense of fear come over me. I didn't know where I was and I was alone. Or I felt alone anyway, but something was telling me that I wasn't. Not really.**_

"_**Sally!" someone yelled out, and the voice itself sounded evil. For some reason I felt that this man was calling for me. "Sally, don't make me come find you."**_

_**I started running through the woods away from the voice and then I realized I was shorter than normal. I was…smaller, lower to the ground.**_

'_**Please, God, don't let him find me,' I thought, and I sounded young, like a little girl.**_

_**I saw a light up ahead and heard water running. I scrambled into a clearing and noticed a little stream with the moonlight gleaming off the water.**_

"_**I know where you are," the voice said. "And when I find you, it won't be pretty."**_

_**I continued moving forward until I reached a big stone, and I hid behind it. I was shivering from cold and fear.**_

_**Twigs crackled around me and my head snapped toward every sound that made it to my ears.**_

"_**Hey, Sally-girl," the voice said, and I was grabbed by my shoulders and pulled to my feet. I felt as cloth robbed against my legs.**_

_**I was wearing a nightgown or maybe a dress. It was night, so it was probably a gown.**_

"_**Let me go!"**_

"_**Be still."**_

_**For some reason I felt violated, like I knew he was gonna do something to hurt me, something I didn't want to happen.**_

"_**It's okay," the man said. His voice was falsely reassuring. "Everything's okay."**_

"_**Please," I screamed. "Help!"**_

_**My mouth was covered by the man's palm. I wanted to bite down, but it was like I couldn't control my body. But maybe that was because this body wasn't mine.**_

_**I couldn't see the man who was manhandling me, it was too dark to see much of anything.**_

"_**Sally-girl."**_

_**The man's hand slipped below my dress between my legs.**_

"_**No!" I yelled.**_

* * *

**I shot up off the bed, screaming.**

**I saw that everybody was circled around me. Dean, Sam, and Bobby were on my right; Jack and James were on my left.**

**Dean had been shaking me, and still was a little bit. I was shaking by myself, too. It seemed that I was still scared for some reason.**

"**Dean," I said, grabbing his arms to calm him and myself down. "What happened?"**

**James was the one who answered. "You went rigid and you just started screaming. We should be asking _you_ what happened."**

"**You weren't waking up," Dean said softly. "We called for you, but you wouldn't…"**

"**Well, I'm awake now," I said. In other circumstances - if we were alone - I would've hugged him to me. But we weren't alone now, and that show of affection would've made Dean uncomfortable.**

"**What happened?" Bobby asked. "Somethin' tells me that wasn't part of the program."**

"**No, it wasn't," James said.**

"**I don't know," I admitted. "I was doin' the quest thing, and then I tried to wake up but it's like I was stuck."**

"**Stuck?" Dean said. "Where?"**

"**In this wooded area. It was dark and raining. And I -" I broke off, wanting to just forget.**

"**You what?" Jack asked. "What happened?"**

"**I wasn't me." I waited for the weird looks or the 'you're crazy' expressions, but they never came. "I was a little girl, and someone was after me."**

"**Who?" Sam asked.**

"**I don't know. A man. I couldn't see his face, but he was evil."**

"**Was he human?" James asked. And he seemed really invested in this.**

"**I-I'm not sure. I wasn't me so I…I couldn't sense anything. Anyway, she was running, or I was running or…" I sighed, frustrated. "I don't know how to explain it. It's like I was there _as_ the little girl. I could feel everything she felt. I was her. She was scared. _I_ was scared. I knew the man, whoever he was, wanted to hurt me."**

"**Is there any chance that this was just a dream?" Jack asked James.**

"**I'm not sure," James said. "This has never happened before."**

"**Do you remember anything else?" Dean asked.**

**I nodded. "Her name was Sally."**

"**Sally?" James asked, hushed.**

"**You know her?" Bobby asked sharply.**

"**I knew someone named Sally. A little girl. She was killed a little over twenty years ago."**

"**In the woods?" I asked.**

"**Yeah. The woods outside my house. Down by the stream." James swallowed, fighting back tears. "I've tried making contact with her many times, but…nothing."**

"**Well, I'd say there's been contact," Dean said harshly. "What else do you know about her?"**

"**She was my granddaughter," James replied. "And she was murdered."**

"**But you don't know who did it?" I asked softly, kindly.**

"**No. The police never could find anything. Except the body."**

**Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder and then, a second later, lightning filled the room. I jumped a little and then internally ridiculed myself. I'd never been scared of storms before.**

**This storm, however, had come on all of a sudden, and it left me feeling uneasy.**

"**Sally belonged to Jim, I reckon?" Bobby said.**

"**Yeah. Sally spent the night here one night and, um…"**

"**Someone took her?" Dean questioned.**

"**Yeah, and it's…I don't understand how it happened. She'd always been safe here."**

"**Bad things happen where you least expect them to."**

**I heard a weird scratching noise, and it sounded like it was coming from the window in the room. It was like the noise someone would make if they ran their hands over wet glass. And then there was tapping, like someone or something was trying to get in.**

"**Th-that happens sometimes," James said. "I've never figured out why. I've gone over every inch of that window with EMF, but I could never find anything."**

"**Is there anything out there to hit the house?" Sam asked.**

"**No. All the trees are far enough back that even if they fell they wouldn't touch the house."**

"**The man that…killed her…called her Sally-girl," I said, "and I think she knew him."**

"**Why would you say that?" James asked. "What'd you see?"**

"**Just…it was nighttime in my dream, or whatever it was. And you said she spent the night here that night. Would she have been the type to go with strangers?"**

**James looked like he was thinking back. "No, as a matter of fact, she wasn't." James got up and walked out of the room. He didn't act like he was gonna come back, either.**

"**Uh, guys," I said, "wait here, okay?"**

* * *

**I followed James into the kitchen, where he set a tea kettle on the stove and turned it on.**

"**Mr. Murphy…when you saw Sally, did she ever have suspicious bruises or anything like that?"**

"**Jim didn't abuse her, if that's what you mean."**

"**That _wasn't_ what I meant. But I think…" I trailed off, knowing I probably shouldn't go into this with him since he'd been her grandfather.**

"**You think what?" he asked, turning to me with misty eyes. "Someone was hurting her?"**

**I nodded sadly. "I do think that."**

"**Someone she knew?"**

"**That's just my guess." I watched as he sat at the table. "You said earlier that Jim - your son - didn't talk to you very much. Was this why?"**

**James nodded once. "He never did forgive me for it."**

**The kettle began whistling and he moved to get up, but I got to the stove first. "I'll get it."**

"**Thank you."**

"**No problem." I was feeling sorry for the poor guy.**

"**Ya know, most people my age who were priests don't know what it's like to have kids. There was a time when priests weren't allowed. When that rule changed…I took full advantage of it. Jim had a wife, too, and then there was Sally…"**

"**How old was Sally…w-when she died?"**

"**She was eleven." James let a tear slip over. "Way too young to die so horribly."**

"**Did you notice anything strange that night? Did you have any visitors?"**

"**I was a hunter, you know. I would've thought of these things."**

"**Right," I said softly. I grabbed a cup from one of the cabinets and filled the mug with water. "Where do you keep the tea bags?"**

"**With the alcohol."**

**I got one and placed it in the steaming mug.**

"**I'm sorry…about everything," I confessed. "That this happened to your family, and that you were attacked. Because of me."**

"**Hey, at least I was attacked for somethin'," James said.**

"**Still, it shouldn't have happened." I placed the mug in front of James. "Um…I still would like to know about what happened that night."**

"**Why?" James asked harshly. "You don't think I investigated every supernatural avenue?"**

"**No, it's just…when people are emotionally connected to a victim…it clouds their judgment. If Sally knew the person who killed her…it's likely you did, too."**

"**You should listen to her on this," Dean said, walking into the room. "She usually has a sixth sense about this stuff."**

**James and I looked at Dean.**

"**Sorry, I was…eavesdropping," he admitted.**

**I smiled fondly. "It's okay, I was mostly done, anyway."**

**Sam, Bobby, and Jack followed Dean in. They'd _all_ been eavesdropping, apparently.**

"**So, about that night?" Dean asked.**

**James shrugged. "It was-it was storming like tonight. Only worse. I tucked her in around ten that night, and the next morning she wasn't there. The window was open, but…the cops said there was no evidence of anyone forcing it. They thought it seemed like she'd opened it on her own, had left on her own. But she'd never do that, not at night and not during a storm."**

"**Which leads us back to our 'she knew her killer' theory," Bobby said.**

"**My wife said she thought she heard tapping on the window, but I never heard anything." James looked at his tea mug. "I guess I was wrong, huh?"**

"**You think the tapping earlier was Sally?" I asked softly.**

**James shrugged again. "You were the one who were dreamin' about her. You tell me."**

"**Yeah, about that," Dean said. "Why her? This has never happened to her. Was it that crap you gave her before she went on her quest."**

"**Probably, but if Sally had come around, then Miss Daniels would have felt her, anyway, right?"**

**Dean and James had a staring contest, and Dean seemed determined to win it.**

"**Dean, it's okay. This is what we do, right?"**

"**Right, " he said quickly, breaking his stare. "But you having dreams about things that happened twenty years ago has never fit in there."**

**I shrugged. "Well, I guess this time it does."**

"**It fits," James said, standing up. "You can pick up energies in a room. You'll probably be able to feel emotions - other people's emotions - some day."**

"**So what was the vision quest for, if not to make my abilities come to the surface?"**

"**To make you realize what was holdin' you back. You woke up, so I guess you figured it out."**

**I had sorta, but I needed to go through it on my own before I talked about it to anyone.**

"**It won't be easy, Miss Daniels," James said sternly. "Your abilities…they're a part of you. Think of them as muscles, right? You're gonna have to build them up, if you want them to work the way you want them to."**

"**Why her?" Jack asked suddenly, repeating the question Dean had asked. "I know from experience that spirits nave to be able to relate to you on some level for them to take you over completely like that. I mean, Alyson wasn't _communicating_ with Sally, she was reliving her murder."**

"**Maybe…maybe Alyson is the only one who will listen."**

**Or maybe she picked me because I knew what it was like to be violated. As Jack had said, I could relate to her on some level.**

* * *

"**Well, it's getting late," Bobby said, "we should get goin' to a motel."**

"**Don't be ridiculous," James said. "You can stay up at the main house."**

"**Main house?" Sam and Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. The stone path outside leads all the way through the woods to the other side. Jim and his wife lived there before…but now I rent it out every now and then." He sighed. "There's enough room for everyone and you don't even have to pay."**

"**That's nice of you," Jack said. "But I think Alyson should get as far away from here as -"**

"**It's fine, Dad," I said. "I'm already interested, and Sally needs me, apparently, so I'll…help."**

**I realized I was talking about a dead girl, but if my dream had been true then she'd been abused before she'd been killed.**

**I turned back to James. "You said there were never any leads?"**

"**No. Never. And I never had any ideas, either. I know almost everyone around here. I knew almost everyone back then, too. People had their issues, sure, but no one was that evil. No one I knew would've done somethin' like that to an _adult_, much less a kid."**

"**Was there every any other murders, or any children who went missing?"**

**James looked a little uncertain. "Maybe. But nothing as bad as Sally."**

**I wondered if he was telling the truth or if he was biased, because of his relationship to Sally.**

"**Okay, so…tomorrow I guess we'll head to the library or somethin," Sam said. "We'll look into the town's history and -"**

"**I have every article ever written about her murder," James said quickly. "I kept up with it."**

"**A'right," Dean said. "Can we see those?"**

"**You can take 'em with ya, if you want," he answered. "Mind you, if you don't' solve this, I want 'em back."**

* * *

**It had stopped raining and storming and now James, Dean, and I were walking the path in the woods. Sam, Jack, and Bobby were taking the cars to the main house. James had given us a shoebox full of articles about the murder, and Sam had it.**

"**What was Sally like?" Dean asked as we went down the wet, but still pretty, path. James had said the path wasn't even a half of a mile long, so we'd decided to walk with him this way.**

**The weather wasn't freezing - quite - but it was around forty. The wind wasn't blowing, though, so it was bearable.**

"**Shy," James answered Dean. "Introverted. Always aimed to please, though. She liked making others happy." A few steps later, he changed the subject. "So, your vision quest…"**

"**Oh, um…I learned some stuff, I guess." I bit my lip, as I normally did when I was nervous or reluctant to talk about something. "Can spirit guides predict the future?"**

"**Yes and no," James admitted. "They come to you with a set amount of information. They can only tell you what they tell you. The-"**

"**The rest is up to me," I finished. "Yeah, that's what…the guide said." _Among_ _other_ _things_, I added silently.**

**Supposedly, the quest had been about what had been holding me back. Sam, Dean, and myself.**

**In a weird sense, it had become clear when the 'roadblocks' had been shown to me. I had hoped if I could…escape myself…I could also escape the supposed _fate_ that was to befall Sam and myself.**

**Dean was harder to explain as a reason for holding myself back…if this quest was to be believed, anyway. Deep down, I'd always been self-conscious about my abilities, always wondered what Dean felt - really - about them. And I _understood_ Dean. I knew that he needed to be needed, and needed to feel like he was protecting the people he loved. But then Mom had said that Dean couldn't protect me forever. That he wouldn't be here to.**

**And then the smallest obstacle - in my opinion - had been myself. My fear that if I actually became able to use my abilities properly, embraced them fully, then I would appear less human.**

"**Well, here we are?" James' voice broke through my thoughts as we completed the path.**

**In front of us stood an old two-story house - old but well-kept, like the cabin had been. James pulled out a key ring and led us to the front door. The three other guys were already there waiting, Sam with the box of articles.**

"**Okay, well," James said, taking a key off the ring. "Here, um, unless you want a tour, I'm gonna go."**

"**By yourself?" I asked, concerned., taking the key. Don't get me wrong, he got along great for an older person, but he'd just been attacked and who was to say it wouldn't happen again?**

"**I'll be fine. I've been by myself for a while now."**

"**Okay, but be careful."**

"**Will do," he said.**

* * *

**Inside the old house was antique furniture - again well-kept. There was a fireplace, and the windows in the room were white with gold designs on them.**

"**Okay, I feel like I've been awake for weeks, so I'm gonna find a bed," I said.**

"**Wait for me," Dean said, and then we began trudging up the stairs.**

"**Good night," I called over my shoulder to the others.**

**As we went up, we saw pictures on both sides of us; they were of people in different times and their eyes followed us - or that was how it seemed.**

"**This place is givin' me the creeps," Dean muttered.**

**I grabbed onto him, mock-serious. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."**

**Dean grinned. "Maybe it's gonna be you who needs protection," he teased.**

"**From what?"**

"**Me," he growled playfully, picking me up to cradle in his arms.**

* * *

**We'd picked what could only have been the master bedroom - it was huge. The bed was a king size. The bed spread matched the curtains…white with gold designs.**

**We were just settling in when Dean said, "so, are you gonna talk about it?"**

"**What?"**

"**What happened in your vision quest?"**

"**Oh…" I snuggled into his side, "I…I saw my mom. She was my guide."**

"**Was it really her or…?"**

"**I think it was," I admitted. "She was only with me for a little while, but it was still…nice."**

"**What'd she say? To help you figure things out?"**

"**She told me things that were subconsciously bothering me. They were real obvious once they were pointed out to me, so I don't know how I didn't know."**

"**Know what?"**

"**Just little obvious thing like…I really _am_ worried about Sam and about the fact that he's supposed to kill me."**

"**Or the other way around," Dean said, hushed. "Neither of you are killers, Aly, it'll never happen."**

"**That's what I said, but I saw Sam in my vision thing…and I was obviously worried about it, or he wouldn't have shown up."**

"**Anything else?"**

"**She said…" I lifted my head to look at him. "Don't get uncomfortable, because there's nothin' to be ashamed of, but…one of my greatest fears is losing you." I swallowed around the confession I'd made. "Also…she approves of us being together."**

"**Would she say that in real life?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah, she would. She'd be happy with whatever made me happy. As long as you were good to me."**

**Dean moved to sit up and brought me up with him.**

"**Hey, uh, Alyson?" he said, turning us so he could look at me closer. "Look, I don't know what happened, what your mom told you, exactly. But I'm here. As long as I'm here -"**

"**She said you wouldn't be," I interrupted softly. "You can't protect me forever. That's what she said."**

"**Oh," Dean said. "Uh, well…I don't know what to say to that. Except that as long as I'm here, I'll be _here_."**

* * *

So, the quest didn't go as I wanted it to, but I started writing and this is what happened...so, yeah. Also, Alyson's dream? I was just thinking, this is Supernatural and usually when something is supposed to help them, something usually goes wrong. LOL. As always, let me know what you think. Thanks.


	45. My Own Journey Pt Three

**Okay, here's the third chapter for this case. There's either gonna be one or two more, depending on where my muses take me. :)**

**My Own Journey  
Part Three**

_**I was being held down. I was in the woods again only this time it wasn't raining or storming. Right away I was aware that I wasn't me anymore. I was Sally again.**_

_**It was dark again, and I couldn't see anything. I wasn't moving, but I was crying. The man who had been in my dream earlier was here with me, and he was being extremely rough with me. He was removing my clothes - almost ripping them. No…he was removing Sally's clothes.**_

_**This wasn't happening to me, I was just reliving what had happened to Sally twenty years ago.**_

_**My eyes - Sally's eyes - were closed tight, and she wasn't doing anything to try to stop this man.**_

**Fight back_, I wanted to yell at her._**

_**She was eleven, she shouldn't have been going through this. But I could tell - **_**tell ****_- she'd been doing this for a while. She'd accepted it as…punishment, maybe…and she was used to it. And she wasn't fighting back because she didn't want to anger the man further._**

_**That was frustrating, too. Sally only thought of him as the man. She wouldn't think his name.**_

_**Whoever he was…he was mad because he hadn't been able to get to her for a while. He could only do it on the days when she spent the night with her grandfather.**_

_**He had her hands held above her head with one of his own, and he pushed her legs open with his knee. She let him; he'd said he'd hurt her family if she didn't, and she knew he could.**_

"_**Stop," I was screaming, but it was no use.**_

_**Inside, Sally was screaming, too, but no one could help her. But she was screaming, nonetheless. She was pleading for help that would never come.**_

* * *

"**Hey, shh. I've got you."**

**Dean's voice broke through the terror that I was going through and I realized that I was being rocked back and forth like a child.**

"**Everything's okay."**

**I buried my face against his chest and grabbed onto him. I gasped as pain went through my wrists, and pulled away from him.**

**I had bruises on my wrists where Sally had been held down. Oh, thank God I'd woken up before…_that_.**

"**Hey, what's goin' on?" Bobby said through the door.**

**Little by little, things got clearer. I was on Dean's lap, he must've pulled me there while I'd been asleep. He was still rocking me even though I'd pulled away a little.**

"**Everything's fine, Bobby," Dean said.**

"**Bull," Bobby said, cracking the door a little. "Everybody decent?"**

"**Yeah."**

**Bobby, Sam, and Jack piled into the room.**

"**We heard you screamin'," Bobby explained. "What the hell happened? Another nightmare?"**

"**More like night terror," Dean muttered.**

"**No, it was real," I whispered, showing Dean my wrists. I hadn't even noticed the lamp was on, but it was. Come to think of it, I was sure we'd even turned it off to begin with. "The man from my dream…he did this to Sally."**

**Dean took my wrists in his hands. "You're not healing," he said softly. "What's wrong?"**

"**They're not mine," I said, uncertain as to why or how I knew that. It just felt like the right answer. "I'll be fine. They're not broken."**

"**Okay, somebody needs to see if we have coffee or some kind of caffeine here. If not, go somewhere and get some." Dean was agitated and speaking hurriedly. "Sam, bring those articles and your computer in here. We'll get started tryin' to figure this out."**

"**The sooner the better," I added.**

"**I'll go check," Bobby said, leaving the room.**

**I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself further. I was still tired, but I knew I couldn't go to sleep. I mean, the dreams were bad enough, but getting _hurt_ from the dreams was even worse.**

"**I'll be…right back, I guess," Sam said, also leaving the room. Jack left after him.**

"**Dean," I said softly, rubbing my wrists, "I don't…like this. I know I said that it was okay, the dreams and everything, but I don't wanna dream anymore. If I'm reliving her injuries…Dean…I don't-I don't wanna die."**

"**You're _not_ gonna die," Dean said firmly. "Nothing's gonna happen to you. Just…just stay awake."**

**That's when I noticed the dark circles under Dean's eyes. He'd been awake, it seemed. He'd probably just been waiting for me to dream again.**

"**Then we'd better hurry," I said. "Because I'm already tired."**

* * *

**Sam, Dean, and I were in the room, the articles spread out on the floor. We hadn't found much out yet that we didn't already know. The only thing we'd come across was the name of the sheriff who had lead the investigation back then.**

**Henry Johnson. The articles repeated over and over how the case had stumped him. They hadn't found footprints or any other evidence that any other person had even been in the woods aside from the fact the Sally had been killed.**

**I'd had two cups of coffee, but I was still tired and at least one of the guys was trying to keep me from sleeping. Every time I would nod off Dean would shake me awake.**

**Sam, however, was of the opinion that I should sleep and they'd wake me up when I started screaming. He'd said it was the only chance we had of finding out more.**

"**No," Dean said firmly. "Just…no."**

"**Dean," Sam said. "We'd be right here. Nothin' will happen to her."**

"**Yeah, you know what? That's what Mr. Priest said, and look what happened."**

**Sam sighed. "Yeah, point taken, I guess."**

"**Good. Don't bring it up again," Dean said sharply.**

**I yawned and my head drooped down a bit. I was tense and tired, and it felt like I'd been reading for hours. All the articles had the same information in them, so it was monotonous.**

**Anyway, Bobby and Jack were supposed to have gone to get energy drinks, but they weren't back yet.**

"**Ya know, it must've been weird for James to read these," Sam observed. "He knew everyone back then."**

**Dean shook his head. "Only you would think about that at a time like this." Dean picked up one of the articles we hadn't looked at yet. "It says that the law enforcement was confused by the lack of evidence. All they found was Sally's body, which was…mutilated." A look of disgust came over Dean's face, and I agreed. "It says she was naked, but there was no sign of sexual abuse and they didn't have DNA of the killer."**

"**That's a lie," I said, suddenly alert. "The sexual abuse thing."**

**Dean and Sam visibly tensed. "How do you know that?" Dean asked.**

"**I woke up…just before," I admitted. "And, uh…I could tell it had happened more than once."**

**The guilty look that Sam usually got when he was around me came on full force. "Then…that's why Sally picked you. Isn't it? Because you sorta know how it feels."**

"**Sam…" Dean said warningly. "Stop."**

"**No, it's okay," I said. "But…yeah, that's probably it."**

"**Sorry," Sam said, and then got up to leave the room.**

"**I know you are," I said softly even though I knew he wouldn't hear me.**

**Dean cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "So…I was thinkin' when the sun comes up we should try talkin' to this sheriff guy. If he's still alive."**

"**Yeah, okay." I sighed. "I don't understand how someone - a human - could do something like that and not leave any evidence."**

**Dean shrugged. "Maybe he wasn't human. I mean…you couldn't feel anything out of place because you're not you when you're dreaming…so we just _assumed_ human. Anyway…your dream? Did it give you any clue as to who it was? Or what?"**

"**No…but she _did_ know him, and he only got to her when she spent the night with James."**

"**Why?"**

**I shrugged. "My guess is probably because her room was upstairs here."**

"**Right, makes sense."**

"**Yeah. And we should talk to James again to see if Sally suddenly stopped wanting to come over." I bit my lip nervously. "Also…maybe Bobby and I should be the ones to go to the police station, huh? I mean, they know about you and Sam. You're probably on every police database out there."**

"**Uh…will you take no for an answer?"**

**I grinned tiredly. "No. And besides, I waited in the car on the last case 'cause you wanted me to, so time to pay up, bud."**

"**Yeah, yeah."**

* * *

**When dawn broke Bobby and I went to the police station, as planned. I wasn't tired anymore; I was buzzing on energy drinks. Seriously, this was what I imagined speed would be like. I was hyper and restless, and my heart was racing, and I was just sitting there in the car.**

**I probably looked doped up. I hoped they didn't do a drug test. I'd pass…but still.**

**Anyway, Bobby and I were posing as reporters. Since he was so much older than me, I was to be job shadowing.**

**When we went inside the building, I saw that the person at the front desk looked maybe a little older than myself.**

"**Can I help you?" the guy asked.**

"**Yeah," Bobby said. "Do you know where I can find Sheriff Johnson?"**

"**May I ask why?"**

**_Because I'm having visions and I could die from them_, I thought.**

"**We need to ask him a couple questions," Bobby said.**

"**One minute," the guy said. Then he picked up the phone and, I assumed, dialed the extension number, because he said, "there's a man and a lady out her who wants to speak to you."**

**After another minute he hung up. "Okay, you can go in." He gestured to a wooden door behind the desk.**

"**Thanks," Bobby and I said.**

**As we reached the door, it opened and a man wearing a uniform came out. He was around Dean's height, and he had a football player's physique, only leaner.**

**As I got a better look at him, I noticed he looked around thirty. Around the same age Sally would've been had she lived.**

**Anyway, the man had strong features, but his nose was crooked like it had been broken at some point in his life..**

**He stuck his hand out for Bobby to shake, and then did the same for me.**

"**Eric Johnson," he said.**

"**Alyson Daniels," I said, in turn.**

**I noticed as I was shaking his hand that it was calloused. So at least the guy had worked with his hands before, and he wasn't one of those guys who was afraid to get his hands dirty.**

**Also, his eyes were green and sincere, like Dean's were when he was with me.**

**Eric didn't hold onto my hand any longer than was prudent. When he let go, he smiled slightly.**

"**What can I do for you guys?"**

"**We were looking for _Henry_ Johnson, actually."**

"**Oh? My dad," Eric said. "He retired a while back."**

"**Really?" I asked. "We didn't realize."**

"**Apparently," he said good-naturedly. "So…is there somethin' _I_ can help you with?"**

"**Maybe," Bobby replied smoothly. "We're reporters."**

"**And you want to do an article on my dad?"**

"**Do you know James Murphy?" I switched subjects.**

"**Everyone does. Why?"**

"**We're renting out his house and he told us what happened," I started, "to Sally. He also said that no one could solve it."**

"**Yes, it's unsolved," he said tersely. "Why? His whole manner had changed from one question. Sore subject, obviously.**

"**May we see the file?" Bobby asked.**

"**Why are you so interested?" Eric wondered out loud. "You -" he looked at me "- don't even look old enough to have been alive when this happened. There's nothing there but a bunch of leads - if you can _call_ them leads - that didn't pan out."**

"**It's not like we're tryin' to solve the case," Bobby said, even though that's _exactly_ what we were gonna try to do. "We're not even gonna write a story. We're just interested."**

"**Wait here," Eric said. "I'll get you a copy."**

**He stood up to leave, but I said 'wait' as politely as I could.**

"**Yes?"**

"**Did any other children…die like Sally? Or go missing?"**

"**A few, but you would be better off asking my dad about that. He's lived here his whole life. I can make arrangements for you to meet him if you like."**

"**That would be nice," I said.**

"**A'right, wait here." He stopped at the door. "Oh, and some of the information never made the papers, so keep it quiet, okay, guys.**

"**Sure thing," Bobby promised.**

* * *

**One file folder and a phone call to his dad later, Eric Johnson ushered us out of his office.**

**When we reached Bobby's car we hopped in and I had been planning on going through the file, but I didn't. I started talking, instead.**

"**Hey, Bobby…"**

"**Yeah?"**

"**If you knew somethin' bad was gonna happen to someone you cared about…would you tell them?"**

**I was referring to what I'd seen on my vision quest. And even though I'd had other things to think about, it had been at the back of my mind the whole time.**

"**That depends," Bobby said. "Is it hurting this person if they don't know?"**

**I shrugged. "I dunno. It hasn't happened yet, if it's gonna happen at all. It's just somethin' that happened while I was asleep."**

"**With Sally?"**

"**No, before."**

"**Oh. Well, I dunno," Bobby said. "On the one hand you might prevent it from happening, but on the other…people shouldn't know too much about their own futures. Ya know?"**

"**Yeah. I know."**

"**Well, good."**

* * *

**Eric Johnson had said we could expect his dad sometime later in the day; they'd both come to the main house at James' place. So, with time to spare, Bobby and I went to get food.**

**I didn't want anything heavy that would put me to sleep. We went to Wendy's because we knew what everyone would like if we went there.**

**I got a large Coke to go with mine to wake me up further. The effects from the energy drink had long since faded and I'd need another one after we got back to the house. That was the problem with energy drinks…they made you crash after a while.**

"**So, like…you're not supposed to dream until ninety minutes after you've been asleep, right?" I asked.**

**Bobby glanced at me. "What, do I look like a dream expert all of a sudden?"**

**I smiled slightly. "No, but I was hoping you'd say yes so I could sleep in shifts."**

"**Yeah, well, don't. You've stayed up longer before."**

"**Not in a while, I haven't."**

**After getting the food, we headed for the house but we had to wait a while because the road was blocked because of an oil spill. A semi had wrecked and…well, the rest was self explanatory.**

**By the time we pulled in front of the house our food was cold, and I was slumped in the seat, barely awake.**

"'**Kay we're here," Bobby said.**

"**Finally."**

**We both got out and all of a sudden I felt like I was being watched, and then it felt like something cold was touching my arm, but nothing was there. It was something colder than the air. It was February in Indiana…so the air was pretty cool.**

"**_Behind you," _I heard clearly in my head. The little girl…Sally.**

**I looked at Bobby and saw that he was headed to the door and there was a red dot on his back.**

**I didn't even think to look to where the thing was coming from; the only things that could register in my mind was that Sally was warning me, and that someone was aiming at Bobby with a gun. I couldn't think properly, I only reacted.**

**I dropped our food and ran toward Bobby, tackling him as a shot rang out. I was vaguely aware of a fiery pain burning through my shoulder blade as a bullet lodged itself inside, and then everything went black.**

* * *

**_I was running. No, Sally was running. This time, though, there was determination in her steps. She'd told him no. And now…he wanted her dead._**

_**I didn't know what had made her change…fight back…but she had and I felt proud of her for some reason.**_

_**But **_**he****_ hadn't liked it, and the only reason Sally hadn't gotten killed right away was because she'd surprised him by refusing him. Then she'd run._**

_**She was on the path that led to either the main house or James' cabin depending on which way she was going. She made it to the clearing and I realized she'd been heading to the cabin. This was the night she died, I was sure.**_

_**Sally actually made it to her bedroom window and she'd tried to climb in. It was open just like James had said it had been.**_

_**There was a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning and then Sally was being dragged backwards with a hand over her mouth, effectively keeping her from screaming for help.**_

_**Sally fought, though. She kicked and struggled as hard as she could, but the man was too strong. **_

_**We made it to the stream where I knew she was supposed to have been killed. I wanted to wake up now. I did **_**not****_ want to die, too._**

_**Suddenly Sally was being held only with one arm, but the man's free arm was being brought around to her front.**_

_**Oh, wow, he had a knife.**_

**Notgood_, I thought. _Wake up, wake up, wake up!**

**_No matter what I told myself, though, it didn't help. I stayed where I was, and as if Heaven itself disagreed with what was happening as much as I did…the sky rumbled, shaking the ground._**

_**Then I felt a sharp pain as a knife was pushed into and twisted in my stomach.**_

_**It hurt so bad, I couldn't even scream.**_

* * *

**My eyes shot open and searing pain went through me. It was even more painful than it had been in the dream.**

**I coughed once. I realized I was bleeding from the mouth…internal bleeding.**

**Things were hazy. I couldn't see properly and the things I was hearing sounded as if they were coming from miles away, and they were echoing.**

**I could tell that everyone was freaking out, though, and if I'd have had the strength to I probably would've been, too.**

**As it was…I just laid there. I couldn't have moved even if I'd wanted to. The house could've been burning down around me and I wouldn't have budged an inch.**

**Anyway, the guys were arguing about whether they should call an ambulance. I knew that much only because I caught small words or phrases before I would focus on the pain again.**

**I could barely breathe without having to cough which made me hurt worse. My arms were gripping at my stomach. It was as if I thought it would help even though logically speaking I knew it wouldn't.**

**Suddenly, my arms were being pulled away, and someone was pressing something to my stomach. I _knew_ whoever it was, was trying to stop the blood flow, but all I could think was _it hurts_ and _stop_.**

**I clawed weakly at the arms of whoever was pressing against me, but it wasn't enough to faze them.**

**I felt as I was being lifted and then laid back down.**

**The last thing I heard was someone speaking, but the voice wasn't familiar. Someone I didn't know was here.**

* * *

**_I was in the woods again. This time, though, it was daytime, and it wasn't raining._**

_**I was near the stream that Sally had been killed near. In the day time it was beautiful; at night it was ominous.**_

"_**Sally?" I shouted out. "Are you here?"**_

"_**I'm here," a little voice said. "I'm always here."**_

_**I spun to see Sally sitting on the big rock she'd hidden behind in one of my dreams. The little girl was wearing a gown, probably the one she'd died in. She had brown hair that strung down the sides of her face, shaping it.**_

"_**Why am I here?" I asked. "What happened?"**_

"_**I'm sorry," Sally said. She sounded smaller than she really was. "I didn't want you to get hurt."**_

"_**I know," I said sincerely. "I know you wouldn't do this to me on purpose."**_

_**I moved forward to the rock, and sat down beside her. I suddenly wondered, while looking at her, if this was a dream or if I was somehow astral projecting like I'd done with Dean that one time.**_

"_**You're dreaming, but it's still real," Sally answered the question I hadn't asked out loud.**_

"_**Are you stuck here?" I asked softly. "Because of how you died?"**_

"_**No," Sally answer quickly. "My killer is still alive. I want…"**_

"_**Justice," I suggested, and she nodded. "And you chose me to help you. Why?"**_

"_**Because I knew you'd listen."**_

_**Just like James had said. There was only one little problem…I was dying.**_

"_**Who…who killed you?" I asked. "Who did all those things to you?"**_

_**The little girl clammed up almost instantly. It was obvious she didn't want to say the man's name.**_

"_**Sally, it's okay. He can't hurt you anymore. You know that, right? He doesn't have power over you anymore."**_

"_**Yes, he does," she contradicted. "I'm still scared after all this time. He's still winning."**_

_**To a frightened little girl that made sense. I could even understand where she was coming from, but…I wanted to help her get over it. Let go.**_

"_**Okay, well, remember when you told him no?"**_

"_**He killed me," she said bitterly.**_

"_**Yeah, he did. But you know what? You were still strong enough to say no. By refusing him…you took the power away from him. He hated you for it, but in the end you were the one with the power. No matter what came after."**_

"_**Nice reward for being powerful," Sally remarked. "I'm dead."**_

"_**Right."**_

_**We sat there in silence. I was thinking about waking up. I **_**had****_ to wake up. I had so much to live for._**

_**Dean and I were closer than ever, and I knew that he couldn't take it if someone else that he cared about were to leave him. I had to get better for his sake.**_

_**Not to mention Sam and I needed to make things alright between us again. And I'd just found my dad. I needed to get to know him.**_

"_**Sally, you've gotta let me wake up."**_

"**_I don't know how," she said sadly. "I really am sorry."_**

_

* * *

_

So, I know, I know, the transferring wounds are kinda weird, but I'll explain it all later. Promise. As always...let me know what you think, please. :) And thank you! Those are the magic words, right?


	46. My Own Journey Pt Four

**Pathway3178: I'm glad you think I'm getting better and better! That's a great compliment and thank you for reviewing. :)**

**Okay, so...I did something a little different with this chapter. Since Aly's unconscious I decided to delve into Dean's mind for a little bit. The majority of this chapter is in his point of view. When I wrote his sections I decided to stick with third person because if I used 'I' when I was doing Dean's stuff it would probably have made me confused. LOL. But when I go back to Aly's, I write with first person.**

**My Own Journey  
Part Four**

**_It had been a while since Sally had said she was sorry, and now I was freaking out._**

_**I needed to wake up. Now. This dream, or whatever it was, was something I needed to get out of.**_

"_**You have to let go of me,' I said, a hint of desperation in my voice. "There are people who need me. And I can't help you when I'm here."**_

"_**I'm sorry," Sally said again.**_

_**I wished she'd stop saying she was sorry. I didn't blame her. The blame laid with the sick man who'd done this to her.**_

"_**At first when he…" Sally trailed off. I thought she was going to cry. I didn't know if ghosts could cry. "He told me it was okay…that he loved me, and that if I loved him, too, that I'd do it. I didn't know…he just…I only knew that no one else had **_**loved****_ me like that before."_**

_**God, the girl sounded so young yet so old at the same time.**_

"_**How old were you when…?"**_

"_**Nine," she answered.**_

"_**That went on for two years?" I asked. "And no one suspected anything?"**_

"_**I…pretend very well," Sally said ironically.**_

"_**Obviously." I took a deep breath. "That last dream I had, the night you said no. What changed?"**_

"_**In school we saw this play. It was about…that. They said if anything made you uncomfortable then it was wrong. And you should tell someone. So I realized he'd taken advantage of me and my feelings. Made me think it was the right thing."**_

"_**Did he…hurt other kids, do you know?"**_

_**The girl shrugged, looking defeated. "One, maybe. He said I reminded him of someone."**_

"_**Who?" I asked, hushed.**_

"_**I don't know. He just…he said he loved her, too."**_

_**Sally's eyes became unfocused, like she was reliving the horrors she'd had to live with. Her words about the man still winning came back. The reason she'd said that, I now realized, was because she still remembered. She couldn't let go of her fears. They were keeping her here and inadvertently killing me.**_

"_**Sweetie, you've gotta stop torturing yourself," I said softly, kindly. "This man, whoever he is…isn't here. He can't hurt you anymore unless you let him."**_

"_**I loved him," she admitted, sounding like she hated herself for it. "Sometimes it seemed like he loved me, too, but he didn't. Did he?"**_

_**I could tell she wanted me to say yes, but I could also tell she already knew the answer. So I wasn't gonna lie.**_

"_**No," I said, barely audible. "And I don't think you loved him, either, Sally. What he made you feel was a sick, twisted kind of love, but it wasn't real. Real love is…nice and warm. It makes you feel safe and comfortable. It doesn't make you run away, scared. It's something that can make things right even when they suck."**_

_**She looked like she was processing that, and then her eyes went out of focus again.**_

* * *

**Dean was frantic with worry, that's what he was. He was trying not to show it, but it was no use.**

**He felt like crying, but he wouldn't do that. Not in front of Sammy or Bobby…or Jack, for that matter. He had to stay strong and focused. He had to save Aly. Somehow.**

**Aly, who was on the bed where this had started…in James' cabin. James had showed up at the main house maybe five minutes after the first shot had rung out. He'd wanted to make sure everyone was okay.**

**They hadn't had any problem getting the bullet out of her shoulder even though it hadn't healed instantly - probably because of the bone damage. And he was grateful Bobby hadn't been shot.**

**Things had been going great…and they just _weren't_ anymore. Aly had passed out from the pain, he assumed, and then…**

**He remembered there'd been so much blood. He hadn't expected it, but he'd reacted fast. Hunters instincts and all that.**

**She had fought him weakly as he'd tried to keep her from bleeding. He had the claw marks to prove it.**

**And he was pissed. He wanted to find whoever had done this to Sally - and through Sally, Alyson - and kill him. Generally, he didn't believe in killing humans, but this one…this one had messed with someone he loved.**

**And it was funny, because he'd come to think of Aly as someone who was invulnerable even though he knew she wasn't. He'd seen her hurt before, of course, but she'd always bounced back. She was strong. Sometimes she seemed stronger than him and Sam combined. But now? Now she was lifeless on a bed. There was no color in her face. She was pale as snow, and it scared him.**

**The reason they were at the cabin was because James had said he knew a doctor who lived close by, who would make house calls, but who hated the main house. He'd known Jim and his family and it felt morbid going there.**

**James had also said the doctor knew about people with abilities and knew how to keep secrets. Dr. Wilson was the guy's name. James and he seemed to be good friends. Dr. Wilson said they should've taken her straight to the hospital, but then James had briefly explained Aly was different and Wilson had shut up.**

**The sheriff and his dad had showed up at the main house a little while after they had gotten the bullet out of Aly, but because of what had happened, they younger Johnson had decided to take his dad back home.**

**So, now here Dean was sitting by the bed feeling useless and guilty for letting this happen. Sam, Bobby, and Jack were in the room also, going through the files Bobby and Aly had gotten from the police station, but Dean wasn't helping. He just couldn't get into it, because yet another person he loved was dying.**

**He'd been stupid, letting her get so close. Hell, he'd been stupid when he'd realized Aly was his comfort zone…safety zone, even, and had let it stay that way. But now that he knew what it was like to have her, he didn't want to let her go.**

**He had to _do_ something.**

"**Um, guys?" James' voice rang out. "Sheriff Johnson's back."**

**Dean looked toward the man's voice. "Let him in."**

**He knew the sheriff might recognize him. Hell, might even arrest him, but if it would save Aly then it would be worth it.**

* * *

**Alyson's heart monitor was steady, but she was still asleep. Dr. Wilson had been great. He was good at what he did even without the hospital. Dean had thanked him after Aly had become stable, and then Wilson had left the room. He had come back periodically, and now he came in behind the sheriff.**

**Dean was looking at Aly as though his gaze itself could heal her. He wished it would. He was touching her with both hands; one was holding her hand, the other was placed on her stomach where she'd bled out so much.**

**He remembered the look of pain that had been etched onto her face, and he hoped, if she survived, he'd never see it there again. It didn't belong there.**

**When the sheriff came in, Dean didn't look at him. He hadn't moved from Aly's side since he'd been allowed in and he didn't intend to now just because someone wanted to ask questions. In fact, he wouldn't answer the questions unless he had to; he'd leave it to Bobby, Sammy, and Jack.**

**He already knew most of the story, anyway. Whenever something happened that they couldn't explain they always said they weren't there, they didn't see it, and couldn't have stopped it.**

"**Is she okay?" the sheriff asked.**

"**She's alive," Sam said softly. "That's what matters."**

"**Any idea what happened?"**

**The sheriff really did sound concerned, but Dean blocked everything out. He didn't even hear the excuse the others made up. He was too focused on Alyson. He wanted to know what she was going through. Was she reliving Sally's life or was she seeing something else?**

**The bad thing was that they couldn't even tell the sheriff about her being shot because the skin had already healed over even if underneath it hadn't. So one of them - himself, Sam, Bobby, or Jack - would have to go back and search around for clues as to who had done it. For Aly's sake.**

* * *

**Dean was pissed again. This Sheriff Johnson was a pain in the ass. He didn't want anyone leaving because the story they'd come up with hadn't made sense and he didn't know exactly what had happened. So no one could leave and…he was staying. He wanted to keep an eye on everyone, he'd said.**

**So, yeah, Dean was pissed. He had things he needed to do, couldn't Johnson tell?**

"**It's just, we're better safe than sorry at least until we knew what's goin' on."**

"**She was almost killed. That's what's goin' on," Dean almost yelled. It didn't seem to faze the sheriff and that made Dean even more pissed off.**

"**Look, I know you're worried, but there's nothin' you can do," Johnson said. "It's better for you to just stay here."**

**Dean felt like punching something, or more precisely…someone. He didn't particularly like that someone was telling him what to do, especially since it got in the way of helping Aly.**

"**Fine," he seethed. But he had no intention of listening, of course. He'd use the window in the priest's room if he had to when he had the chance.**

* * *

**That chance came about thirty minutes later and Dean was out the window in record time. He made it to the path leading back to the main house and went quickly on his way.**

**He intended to search until he couldn't search anymore, but he was gonna find out who'd shot Alyson. And then maybe, _just maybe_ he'd do a little shooting of his own. Or that's what he _felt_ like doing. Because nobody messed with people he loved without Dean doing a little messing in return.**

* * *

**Dean hadn't found anything. _Damn it_. He'd been sure that since it had been raining the night before there would have been footprints or something but no. Nothing.**

**The grass was messed up, sure, but friggin' animals could have done that. Crap.**

**So he decided to go back to James' place, He need to be there when Aly woke up, because she was _gonna_ wake up. Her dying just wasn't an options.**

**When he got back, there was a new car out front. It didn't matter though because Dean went in the same way he left: through the window.**

**Sam was in the room and he looked relieved and pissed at the same time.**

"**Where were you?"**

"**Lookin' for clues," Dean said shortly.**

"**Well, you could've told me," Sam replied. "It's easier to cover someone's ass when you know how long they're gonna be gone."**

"**Sorry," Dean said, not really meaning it at all. "Preoccupied, I guess."**

**Dean thought Sam should've gotten it without Dean having to say anything. Sam had lost Jess, and now Dean was losing Aly. Women just weren't safe in their family. Dean should've remembered that, he never should've let himself get attached. It was stupid and selfish. But now that he had her…he couldn't just not be with her. As long as they were together, they'd be _together_.**

**Dean knew he should've pushed her away a long time ago. The minute he'd started to feel the L-word he should've called it quits; he should've never even let it get that far. But she'd been there for him at the lowest point in his life so far, and now that he knew what it was like for someone to take care of him…he didn't want that to go away, damn it.**

**It was like he _craved _her affection now. It wasn't normal for him. He knew that.**

**Aly could do things to him that no other woman could. Dragged responses from him - vocal and otherwise - that he'd never say with others. Made him feel warm and fluffy and so…sappy…like a chick flick. And he didn't _do_ chick flicks.**

**But that's how she made him feel. He'd opened up to her in ways that…he'd never opened up to Sammy. And probably never would. But she made him feel safe to share his truths and hide them with her…forever.**

**And that was another thing…Dean didn't do forever. Or all that weird commitment stuff. But he hadn't so much as wanted to kiss another girl let alone fool around with one.**

**He knew what life was like without her, there was no way he was gonna do it again. He couldn't.**

"**Hey, who's here?"**

"**What?"**

"**There's another car out front…who's is it?"**

"**Oh, uh, Henry Johnson is back. It's just he brought his own car."**

* * *

**Dean had been researching for the past hour in the room. But he hadn't really been researching. He'd been thinking how he could make everything fit together.**

**He wanted to know who had done those things to Sally, because he was willing to bet a lot that whoever had shot Aly was the same person. Even though he would be in his fifties or sixties now.**

"**Hey, Dean," Sam said, knocking on the door and coming in. "I brought you same coffee."**

**He handed it to Dean, and Dean said, "thanks, Sammy."**

"**So, I read in the file that they interrogated Sally's other grandfather," Sam said. "But then they decided he didn't do it. Doesn't say why. He didn't have an alibi, but he swore up and down he didn't do it."**

"**He still alive?" Dean asked, looking at his brother.**

"**Yeah, but he doesn't live here anymore."**

"**Hm. Probably wasn't him, then."**

"**Yeah, unless he came back for an unannounced visit," Sam added. "But James even believed Aaron - the other grandfather - was innocent. James said he had a temper but he'd never hurt anyone."**

"**Hm," Dean said, realizing he was repeating himself, but not caring. "Well, the guy who did this definitely didn't mind hurting anyone. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't random. They had to know we were gonna look into Sally's death."**

"**Which could've been anyone at the police station since everyone's on the same server."**

"**Great. Now all we need is an employee list from back then," Dean said. "We'll check with all the guys who are still alive and here. And while we're at it, see if James told anyone we were here."**

"**Yeah, okay." Sam got up to leave. When we reached the door he turned back to Dean. "We'll figure this out, Dean. She'll be okay."**

* * *

**The next time Dr. Wilson came in to check on Aly, Dean decided he wanted to know why he wasn't working in a hospital. So he asked.**

"**My…_treatments_…were too controversial. But they worked."**

"**You were helping people, but…they didn't like how you were doing it?"**

"**Exactly."**

"**That sucks." Dean sighed. "She gonna be okay?"**

**The doctor took a deep breath. "Professional opinion or gut reaction?"**

"**Whichever's the truth," Dean said firmly, hoping it was good news.**

"**Honestly? I don't see how she's still alive, but she is. She's holdin' onto somethin'. Someone." Wilson turned to Dean. "If I asked you to get some sleep, would you?"**

"**I'm good, here," Dean said.**

"**So…James tells me you're interested in what happened to Sally. Why?"**

"**Normal version or weird one?" Dean asked.**

"**Uh…weird?"**

"**Okay. Ever since we got here she's been connecting with Sally. She's been reliving Sally's injuries." Dean sat up straighter in his chair. "Did you know Sally?"**

"**Yeah. I treated her a few times." Wilson smiled sadly. "She was one of those kids that had sad eyes, ya know? I could tell she was hurting, but she'd never say anything."**

"**Did you ever have any ideas who'd done it?" Dean asked, slumping in his chair again. He'd been getting a read on this doctor, and he was sure Wilson was innocent.**

"**No, but there was talk of files and evidence goin' missing back then. And everything wasn't computerized back then so once somethin' was gone…it was gone."**

"**I thought we had the files," Dean said, looking at the pile of stuff on the floor.**

"**Not from the first investigation," Wilson said.**

"**How'd you know that?" Dean asked suspiciously.**

"**Oh, I worked with the police back then. Sometimes. They'd call me when they needed someone for forensics."**

"**Oh. Did you have a team?"**

"**Yeah, I led most of the time."**

"**So that's how you knew about the evidence," Dean said. "You worked around it." Dean licked his lips before continuing. "Did you work on the Sally case?"**

"**Sorta," Wilson said. "I took her body to the lab, but then I couldn't…there are some things even doctors shouldn't see."**

**Wilson checked Aly's stats, and considering the circumstances…they were good. When Wilson went to leave, Sheriff Johnson walked in, and then Dean was alone with the sheriff.**

"**So, you enjoy your little walk in the woods?" Johnson asked, pretending to not be angry. "Was it fun?"**

**In any other situation Dean would've lied, said he didn't know what he was talking about. This time he didn't even try. It wasn't worth his time. This sheriff guy had no idea what was going on and Dean couldn't explain it to him.**

"**Ya know…I can't help you unless you're straight with me."**

**Dean sighed. He could say _something_ to appease the guy.**

"**She had nightmares," Dean said. "Like someone was after her, hurting her."**

"**Nightmares," Johnson said softly. "You think she knew this was gonna happen?"**

"**Yes, I do."**

**Dean's mind flashed back to when Aly had told him she didn't wanna die, and he'd told her 'nothin' was gonna happen'. He should've been there to make sure nothing happened. But he hadn't been.**

"**Is there anything else?" Johnson asked. "Has she made any enemies since she's been here?"**

"**She's been here for two days," Dean said. "She hasn't had time to piss people off." _Except the guy who shot at her_, he added silently.**

"**She was interested in the Sally Murphy case, and then this happened. Do you think this is connected to that?"**

**_It's your job to make those connections, isn't it?_**

"**Yes," Dean said. "I mean, don't you think it's weird that Sally died from a stab wound and now…" He gestured to Aly on the bed.**

"**Coincidence?" Johnson suggested.**

"**I didn't think cops believed in coincidence," Dean quipped. "Anyway, she doesn't usually have nightmares…maybe once in a while, but not like these. She dreamed of a little girl named Sally _before_ she knew who Sally was."**

**Johnson seemed to be going through the process every person did when they heard something like that. _No, it's not possible. There's no way. That's crazy talk_.**

"**Someone shot her earlier," Dean said.**

**Johnson whipped his head around and looked at him sharply. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"**

"**I didn't know how. But you asked me to be straight with you, remember? Someone shot at Bobby but she pushed him out of the way and it hit her instead."**

"**That's crazy. She has no wound."**

"**There's a bullet on the floor in the main house that says I'm _not_ crazy."**

**Some time while he'd been talking, Dean had stood up to get in the sheriff's face. He was being deliberately confrontational but he didn't care. He wanted the sheriff to do his job so Aly would wake up.**

"**If you're lyin' to me…" Johnson threatened.**

"**I'm not," Dean said, daring the guy to not believe him.**

"**Fine. _Don't_ move."**

* * *

**As soon as the sheriff left, Dean went to the file and actually looked through it this time. He realized just sitting there staring at Aly wasn't gonna wake her up. Finding out who'd killed Sally would.**

**At least now the sheriff was basically on the same page as them even if Johnson didn't seem to believe the whole nightmare ghost thing.**

**He realized without Alyson they'd have a harder time coming up with anything new, but he was gonna try, damn it.**

**He wanted to talk to her, tell her he was gonna make her okay again, but he didn't even know if she would hear him if he tried.**

**_What the hell?_ he thought. It couldn't _hurt_ to talk to her, right? Might even help. But what was he supposed to do? Profess his undying love? He didn't do that.**

**_But if it'll get through to her…_ he thought. He'd do it.**

**He was already by the bed so he didn't have to do anything but scoot closer.**

**He was gonna suck at this, he just knew it. But he was gonna give it a go.**

"**Uh, Aly…I don't know if you can hear me, or…if you're even here anymore, but…you have to come back, okay? You can't just…" He licked his lips and took a shaky breath. "You can't just leave me alone. And I know I probably don't say it enough but I need you here with me. I…" He clenched his jaw as the first tear fell. "I love you. You make me feel like…I'm actually _worth_ somethin'…I know I never deserved you, but you chose me anyway. For some reason."**

**God, he was turning into a girl. _That_ was the affect Aly had on him. She made his heart skip beats just by the way she said his name, could make his insides turn to jelly with one kiss.**

**And that wasn't typical Dean Winchester behavior. Really. He just didn't do stuff like that. Or…he hadn't until he'd gotten with Aly.**

**And if she didn't wake up…he figured it would never happen to him again. As cliché as it all sounded…love like that only happened once. He was sure of it.**

* * *

**_I had followed Sally through the woods for what seemed like ages, and I didn't know where we were going. The woods in the real world weren't so…big. But to an eleven year old they probably were._**

"_**Sally, were are we going?"**_

"_**Some place safe. Somewhere he can't get us."**_

_**Really? I looked heavenward.**_

"_**Sally," I said as patiently as I could manage. "He can't hurt you anymore. You're in my head. He can't reach you here unless you let him. And even if he could…I'm with you. I wouldn't let him hurt you again."**_

_**Finally, we reached the end of the woods, and I saw we were at the main house. Of course…Sally had never been touched here. This was her untainted sanctuary.**_

"_**It's safe here."**_

_**Suddenly, the little girl was running toward the front porch, grabbing my hand to drag me along with her. I noticed as we were moving that this was how **_**Sally****_ remembered things. There was a garden at the side of the house, and a huge tree with a tire swing._**

"_**Daddy used to swing me there," she said, gesturing over to the tree. "He'd go as high as I wanted."**_

_**I smiled at her memory. It struck me that it was probably one of the very few good ones she had.**_

"_**Will you swing me?" Sally asked, changing directions.**_

"_**Sure," I said. "But, Sally, I can't stay here."**_

"_**But…you're safe here."**_

"_**No," I responded. "I'm **_**dying****_ here. And, sweetie, you're not really supposed to be here anymore. If you'd let the memories go away…you'd be able to let go. And you'd be safe. And you'd be loved…for real."_**

"_**Like Daddy loved me?" Sally whispered.**_

_**I smiled slightly. "Yeah, only **_**better****_," I promised. "You'll be safe and warm and loved. And you'll be finished here. Nothing will ever hurt you or scare you again."_**

"_**Nothing?" she asked with wonder in her voice.**_

_**I laughed. "Nothing."**_

"_**And I'll be safe? Like I was here?" She pointed to the house.**_

"_**Even safer," I said. "And he'll never be able to find you again."**_

"_**You'll be able to live?" she asked, hopefully.**_

"_**I think." Though I wasn't sure. "I hope."**_

_**Sally looked at the ground, and then back up at me with determination in her eyes. "I don't wanna stay here anymore. I wanna go."**_

_**I raised my hand and petted her hair. "So, go. You've suffered enough," I said fondly.**_

_**And wow, I was going all Ghost Whisperer on the girl. But it seemed to be working, so…whatever.**_

_**A halo of light began to surround the little girl, but I never took my eyes off of her, even as she began to fade.**_

* * *

**I woke to the sound of a heart monitor and to Dean talking. He was telling me he loved me.**

"**You make me feel like…I'm actually _worth_ somethin'…I know I never deserved you, but you chose me anyway. For some reason."**

**He thought _he_ didn't deserve _me_? That's why I loved Dean. He was so…perfect, and he didn't even know it.**

**I opened my eyes slowly and turned toward his voice. He wasn't actually looking at me; he was facing the floor. I could tell he was barely holding it together. He was close to his breaking point.**

**It was time to put him out of his misery.**

"**Dean," I said. My voice was weak, but he heard it anyway. His head shot up. There was a tear running down the side of his nose. I reached up and wiped it away. "Did you really think I was gonna leave you here all alone?"**

**He grabbed my hand in his and shut his eyes briefly. Maybe he didn't think this was real.**

"**Dean?"**

"**I'm just…really glad you're awake."**

**Right.**

**My surroundings became clearer the longer I was awake. It became clear I wasn't in a hospital. I was in James' cabin, I realized.**

"**How did I get here?" I whispered and tried to sit up but I hadn't healed yet. I learned that really fast. "Ow."**

**Dean laid his hand gently where I was hurting and I settled down.**

"**Uh, James was at the house. He'd heard the gunshot."**

"**Oh. Uh…hospital?" I suggested softly. I mean, I had been bleeding to death.**

"**Right." Dean looked to the door probably to make sure no one was there. "Well, James knows this doctor who knows about people with abilities, and we figured if he was good at what he did…"**

"**It'd be safer to use him than a hospital," I said. "Sounds about right. I'd have done the same thing."**

**I suddenly wondered how this doctor had stopped me from bleeding internally, but then I realized it didn't matter. Whatever he'd done…it had worked. And then I remembered something from before I'd passed out.**

"**Dean, there was someone else in the room, right? Someone I didn't know. At the main house?"**

**Dean nodded. "Johnson and Johnson."**

"**Baby shampoo commercial?" I joked, but it fell flat. "No, I know who you're talkin' about. Eric and Henry."**

"**You're on a first name basis with these guys?" Dean asked curiously.**

"**Well, I met Eric at the police…station -" I'd paused between words because I'd suddenly remembered something else. "Is Bobby okay?"**

**Dean smiled. "He's fine. He's called you an 'idiot girl' about a million times, but other than that…"**

"**Not idjit?" I wondered out loud.**

"**Not idjit," Dean repeated fondly.**

"**Wow, he must really be worried."**

**Dean nodded. "He was. We all were. I haven't been able to get anything done since…"**

**He cleared his throat. It was a habit of his. If he was uncomfortable with where a conversation was going or if he thought he'd said too much he'd clear his throat and then change the subject.**

"**Anyway -" see? Changing the subject. "- I'm gonna go get the doctor. He can do a once-over and then Sam and I can get to work."**

"**You mean we," I said, "_we_ can get to work."**

"**Aly…"**

"**Dean. I know you're worried, but Sally picked me to help and…so I have to. And besides…Sally isn't here anymore. I've helped her move on."**

"**So…she's not in your head anymore?"**

"**No," I said firmly. "So, ya see, I'll be fine."**

**Dean looked at me and then his shoulders slumped. He looked exhausted. "Look, Aly, you've gotta stop doin' this. Okay? The getting' hurt and the passin' out and bleedin' freely all over the place. It's just not healthy, and you're gonna end up drivin' me insane."**

**I bit my lip to keep from grinning, because really, this wasn't funny. Dean didn't rant…_ever_. Yelled, maybe. Ranted, never. But here he was, ranting away.**

"**Dean…I'm here," I said, grabbing his hand again. "I'm here, and I _promise_ you I'll be more careful from now on."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Yeah. And, Dean?" I squeezed his hand. "You're worth _everything_."**

**I could tell by the look in his eyes that he hadn't known I'd heard that. But he didn't get mad or freak out or anything like that. He knew I wasn't teasing him, and so it was okay.**

**A knock at the door broke through our staring contest, and then Eric came in. Or Sheriff Johnson…whatever I was supposed to all him.**

"**Sheriff?" Dean said again, not bothering to stand. "Did you find what you were lookin' for?"**

**Sheriff Johnson nodded once. "What's going on? And why didn't you tell anyone she was awake?"**

"**I just woke up," I said. "I'm his girlfriend. It kinda gives him the right to see me first, don't you think? And…what were you looking for?"**

"**The bullet that shot you," Dean said. "He needed to be on the same page or he couldn't help."**

**I nodded, getting that. "Okay, so…" I sighed, looking at the sheriff. "You've probably got a lot of questions."**

"**Yeah, you could say that," Eric said. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"**

**I nodded. "Yeah, sure." I looked at Dean. "You should go tell Sam and the others that I'm awake."**

"**Yeah, okay." He stood up, kissed me quickly, and walked to the door where he did a little face-off with the sheriff. "_Don't_ badger her."**

"**Wasn't planning on it," Johnson replied.**

* * *

**After Dean left, the sheriff turned to me. "Is your boyfriend always so…overbearing?"**

"**Overprotective," I corrected. "But considering I almost died…kind of…understandable, right?"**

**Eric shrugged. "Sure, sure."**

**Eric stood there, moving from one foot to the other like he was nervous.**

"**Look…I don't know about all this ghost business, but I found the bullet that shot you. I could tell it had been fired and it was covered in your blood. Now, what's goin' on?"**

**I sighed. "You're not gonna like it," I warned. "And you're not gonna believe it, either."**

"**Well, tell me anyway."**

"**Okay, first thing you have to know is…I'm different. See, things don't affect me the same way they affect everyone else. When I get hurt, unless it's really bad…I heal instantly. This -" I gestured to my stomach "- will probably take three days, tops."**

"**That's…insanely fast," Eric said.**

"**Different, remember?"**

"**Right. And the ghost…stuff?"**

**I went into the dreams I'd been having and about how Sally's wounds became mine.**

"**That's impossible."**

"**Yeah? Then how come I dreamed Sally was getting stabbed and then I woke up with the same exact wound.?"**

"**You were probably half awake when you were stabbed and your mind made the connection. Dreams are tricky like that."**

"**Did they tell you I was alone? When I was stabbed?"**

"**Weren't you?"**

**I shook my head. "No. I'd been shot. They wouldn't have left me alone."**

"**You mean your boyfriend wouldn't have."**

"**Right. And Dean wouldn't have hurt me. So, tell me…how could someone have stabbed me without him seeing it?"**

"**I don't know! I don't know, okay? But it _wasn't_ a ghost."**

"**Okay then…ask me a question that I couldn't have read in the files. Aside from who killed Sally, because she wouldn't tell me."**

"**Go figure," Eric said sarcastically.**

"**Okay, you're skeptic, I get it. But…humor me."**

"**Why don't you tell me what you dreamed and we'll go from there?"**

"**Fine. The first dream I had happened before I even knew who Sally was. She was in the woods and the man was…yelling for her. But the first dream isn't important…it's the third one that counts. She was running. The man was angry at her."**

"**Why?"**

"**I know the newspaper articles said there was no sign of sexual abuse but there was, wasn't there? She'd been abused for two years. The night she died she told him no. He was angry. She almost made it here, but the man grabbed her from behind and dragged her off into the woods again. See, her window was open, and she tried to get in but she was too late."**

**Eric didn't say anything. I didn't know if he was believing me or not, though, because his face was neutral.**

"**She knew him," I said. "She opened the window for him. He could only get to her here. She was always safe at her other home."**

"**Okay, that's enough." Eric sounded spooked. "I'm gonna get my dad. He would no more about this case than me, anyway. He can help more."**

* * *

**When Henry got in the room he made me go through everything again. Only, as odd as it was, Eric hadn't told his dad everything. He hadn't mentioned the dreams or me being different. Now whether it was out of respect or because he just didn't believe me…that wasn't plain to see. But I had to make up a story to go along with everything to make it make sense.**

**Sam and Dean were in the room with me, too, just to make sure this Henry guy didn't pressure me too hard. Also they knew stuff that I didn't, so they'd be able to ask more questions.**

"**Yeah, that Sally Murphy case was a hard one," Henry said. "Never did solve the damned thing."**

**As I listened to Henry go on I noticed a few things. He didn't resemble Eric at all. Henry had blue eyes, and soft features. And his black hair was almost purely white now. Henry didn't even have the same mannerisms as Eric did. I guessed Eric took after his mom.**

"**Did you have any suspects?"**

"**Not really. We had a list of people that Sally knew through James and we even interrogated James himself."**

"**He was a suspect?"**

"**No. It was…routine. We had to investigate every avenue, ya know? Why are you guys interested all of a sudden, anyway?"**

**Eric scoffed. "You wouldn't believe her if she told you."**

"**Try me," Henry said, looking at me.**

"**Really?" I asked.**

"**Really."**

"**Okay. Do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Johnson?"**

"**Um…" Henry seemed surprised by the question. "I believe there are some things that can't be explained away by science."**

"**Okay."**

**Maybe Henry would be more receptive than this son had been and so I began my tale, leaving off the healing part.**

**After I was done Henry nodded thoughtfully.**

"**Well, if any spirit was gonna be restless it would've been hers. She had a hard life…and a hard death."**

"**So, Dr. Wilson said some evidence was stolen…did you ever find out who did it?" Dean asked, speaking for the first time.**

"**Nope…" Henry said. "Everybody was interrogated, even me. But, no luck."**

"**Did you have any hunches? That…you wanted to look into, but just couldn't because there wasn't enough evidence?" Sam asked.**

**Henry shrugged. "Maybe one or two."**

"**Names?"**

"**Well, there were only two other people besides me who had the keys to the evidence storage unit. That was Dr. Wilson and this other guy who died years ago."**

* * *

"**Okay, so either someone stole their keys," Dean started, "Or…we're dealing with one of them."**

"**Well, seeing as to how I was shot…Henry's more likely, right?" I asked.**

"**Not necessarily," Sam said. "I mean, we're not cops and we know how to shoot."**

"**Yeah, yeah," I said. "So, what do we do? Investigate both?"**

"**Yeah," Dean answered, "discreetly."**

**Which meant background checks on the computer. Something Sam could do. **

Okay, so...as always, let me know what you think. Did I do Dean's voice right? As I was typing and proofreading this, I realized that most of Dean's stuff was like and internal monologue. LOL. But I just thought I'd give ya'll a taste of how Dean feels and how it makes him feel that he feels that. (Was that even worded right?) Anyway...yeah, hope you enjoyed.


	47. My Own Journey Pt Five

Okay, so this is the last installment for this case. Which YAY because I think this is the longest case I've written so far. LOL. Um...anyways, that's pretty much it. Enjoy. :)

**My Own Journey  
Part Five**

**The background check Sam had done did nothing…not one thing. We'd found out that both Henry and Dr. Wilson belonged to a hunting club, so either could've shot me.**

**Both had lived here their whole lives and James had grown up with them, even if they hadn't always been friends. He didn't think either of them would hurt anyone.**

**But it all depended on the circumstances. We were sure whoever had done the shooting, it was because they'd known we were looking into the death of Sally Murphy. That meant either James had told someone without informing us…which he'd claimed he hadn't… or that Sheriff Johnson had told someone - we _knew_ he'd told Henry, which made him a suspect. Henry, though, could've gone on to tell someone else.**

**Next time I saw Henry or Dr. Wilson I would ask when they found out we were here and what we were after. And when I saw Eric I'd ask when he'd told his dad. I'd ask Henry and Eric if they'd told anyone else.**

**If they had, we would have to check on _them_, too. But the truth was if anyone else had been told, they would have had time to get here. Bobby and I had gotten stuck because of the oil spill, so it had taken us a while to get back to the house. It had probably just been coincidence that he'd been waiting when Bobby and I had arrived.**

**Anyway, now that I was awake and seemed okay, the doctor and the two Johnson's left. Both the Johnson's said they'd continue the investigation in their own way and we could carry on with ours. The doctor, however, wanted to be kept out of it. He'd left pain medicine and then went away.**

**Now that they'd left, we - Sam, Dean, Bobby, Jack, James, and myself - were seated at the kitchen table. It had been hard getting out of bed, and I couldn't sit up straight without hurting myself, but I couldn't - read _didn't want to _- stay in bed anymore. I'd been there long enough.**

**James had taken a keen interest in what we were doing even though he said that Henry had been a great cop so he didn't think we had any chance.**

**But it was understandable that he wanted to be let in on the investigation. He _had_ been Sally's grandfather.**

"**So, uh, Sally told me that the man told her she reminded him of someone. Did either of them have a daughter at one point?"**

**Sam had been the one to research, so I turned to him for the answer.**

"**Not that I could tell," Sam said apologetically, "but I can check again."**

"**They didn't," James said. "Wilson had a niece - she belonged to his sister. She died in a car accident and then Michelle - her little girl - came to live with Wilson. She was sweet."**

"**Is she alive?"**

"**No. She killed herself. When she was twelve, maybe."**

"**Would you say she reminded you of Sally?"**

"**Maybe, look-wise," James replied, shrugging. "Both were shy, but Sally was more withdrawn than Michelle."**

"**Did they know each other?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. Michelle, Sally, and Eric were best friends."**

"**What was Eric like when he was younger?" Bobby asked. He seemed distracted; he was reading a book, too, so he was probably only half tuned into the conversation, anyway.**

"**Like every other boy. He was a couple years younger than Michelle and she seemed…very protective of him for some reason."**

"**Like she thought someone was gonna hurt him?"**

"**Yeah, somethin' like that."**

"**Did Michelle and Sally die around the same time?" Sam asked. "Do you think their deaths were connected?"**

**James looked uncertain. "I'm not sure. But, no, they didn't die around the same time. Michelle died two years before Sally."**

**Which would match the timeline of Sally's death. If Michelle's death was connected with Sally's then Sally would've started getting abused when Michelle died.**

**I yawned suddenly and realized I had overexerted myself. I maybe shouldn't have gotten out of bed. We should've congregated in the bedroom.**

"**You doin' okay?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah, just tired."**

"**Maybe you should go back to bed," Sam suggested. "We can work it here."**

"**Actually," Dean began. "If we're goin' to bed I think we should go to a motel. Whoever shot at Bobby and Aly know we're here. They could come back anytime." He looked at me. "Are you hurting at all?" Dean seemed concerned. "'Cause you can take more medicine if you need it."**

**I moved experimentally and winced. "A little. Only when I move." Before he could say anything, I said, "But I'm fine. I'm good. I don't need the medicine."**

"**Are you sure Sally didn't give any hints as to who killed her?" James asked.**

"**No," I said. "I think she was scared to." I tried to sound as nice as I possibly could, but the truth was I didn't know if James should be involved in this case. He was too close to the victim. "Are you sure you don't know who could have done it?"**

"**No. But it couldn't have been Henry or Wilson. Henry worked a lot and Jimmy, would watch Eric sometimes. Michelle lived close by. Before she died she'd come over a lot."**

* * *

**We finally went to the motel and Dean went to get two rooms, leaving Sam and I in the car. Jack and Bobby were in their cars behind us. They were gonna share a room; Sam, Dean, and I were gonna share another.**

"**So…" I said, "can I talk to you?"**

"**Sure, what's up?" Sam asked, turning to look at me.**

"**Sally told me she picked me because I would listen. It had nothin' to do with what happened to her or me."**

"**Yeah?" Sam's voice got softer. That guilty look came across his face like it normally did when this subject came up.**

"**Yeah, but…um, that was a sort of prelude to what I actually wanted to say - which is…get over it."**

"**Wh-what?" Sam seemed surprised at my bluntness.**

"**I mean that in the most sensitive way possible," I said. "But…I mean…I know you feel guilty about what happened, but…all this brooding and giving me the puppy dog eyes…it's not helping. And I wanna get back to where we were before, okay? But to do that you're gonna have to let it go. I mean, I miss talking to you, Sam, and I've been trying, but every time you just walk away."**

**Sam looked like he knew that last bit already. "Yeah. I…it keeps replaying in my head."**

"**That's understandable," I said sincerely. "I mean…it wasn't one of our best moments, but you can't let it rule you. It wasn't even you, so you shouldn't feel guilty, okay? You've gotta get past it."**

* * *

**Bobby followed us into the room - he was bringing some of our stuff in because Dean had insisted on carrying me in the room. Sam and Dean went to get more stuff - the weapons probably - and Bobby stayed with me.**

**I was laying on one of the beds and Bobby was standing over me looking a little angry, worried, grateful, and relieved at the same time.**

**Weird combination, but there it was.**

"**You're an idiot-girl. Don't do that again."**

**He was talking about jumping in front of a bullet for him, I assumed. And Dean had been right - Bobby _was_ calling me an idiot instead of an idjit.**

"**Why?" I asked. "You would've done the same for me."**

"**That's not what I mean," Bobby said. "Do you know what it would've done to Dean if you'd died?"**

"**Probably the same thing that would happen to me if _he_ died," I said. "But I'm not sorry for saving you."**

"**I'm not sorry you saved me either," Bobby said. "I'm talking about the other thing where you almost died."**

**I felt like I was being reprimanded for something I'd had no control over. And I hadn't. The only way I'd have been able to get away was to have left. I didn't leave people who needed my help. Even if they were dead.**

"**I'm glad you're okay, by the way," Bobby said sincerely, calming down. "Really. And thanks."**

**I smiled tentatively. "No problem. And I'll be more careful, okay?"**

**I realized that was the second time I'd said that since I'd woken up. But I meant it. I _would_ be more careful.**

"**Okay," Bobby said. "So…I'm gonna leave you to it."**

"**Yeah, thanks."**

**As Bobby went out Sam, Dean, and Jack came in with the weapons.**

"**Hey," Jack said, sitting the bag on the table and coming over to my bed. "How ya feelin'?"**

**I grinned. "Like I should start chargin' money every time someone asks me that."**

**Jack scoffed softly. "Everyone's been doin' that, huh?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Everyone was worried, "Jack said.**

"**I know."**

**Jack sighed. "I never should've told you to come here," he admitted. "No matter what you found out…it wasn't worth this."**

**Dean came to sit by me. He seemed to agree with Jack's statement.**

**I shook my head. "I'm okay. And you couldn't have known this would happen. It just _did_. It's not your fault. And really? Sam and Dean feel enough guilt without you adding to it."**

**I grinned at both the brothers even though they were mock-glaring at me.**

* * *

**After Jack left, Dean helped me up and to the bathroom. He was gonna change the bandage on my stomach that was wrapped around me.**

"**You're really okay?" Dean asked, removing my shirt. "You're not in a lot of pain?"**

"**No, Dean." I grabbed at his hands, and brought them up to cup my face. "I'm okay. I'm sorry I worried you. I'm fine now. I'm here, and you don't have to worry because Sally's not here anymore."**

**Dean went back to changing my bandages.**

"**Yeah, you're okay _this_ time. But what if this isn't a one time thing? What if this just opened your mind up for other stuff?"**

"**I dunno. But if I'm meant to do this…which I don't think I am…then it would've happened sooner or later." I smiled bravely. "But if I can do this now then…I can do this now. And we'll deal with things like we always do."**

"**I'm glad _you_ sound confident." Dean got the bandage off. "Anyway, we should consider goin' to see Dr. Wilson tomorrow. Or Sam and I can stay here with you. Jack and Bobby can go talk to him."**

"**I'd very much like you to stay," I said softly.**

**I noticed - since the bandage was off - that I had stitches. And, wow, the wound looked horrible. I could see why Dean had been worried. A normal person would have died, and now I knew why they had thought I would have.**

* * *

**Sometime during the night we were woken up by banging on the door.**

**Sam was closest to the door, so he got one of his guns, placed it at the door, and opened it.**

**Oh. It was Sheriff Johnson.**

**What was he doing here at…whatever time it was.**

"**Sheriff Johnson?" Sam asked, moving back from the door. "What are you doing here?"**

"**James Murphy is dead."**

"**What?" I asked as he came in. "What happened?"**

"**We got a call in a couple hours ago. Gunfire. We went out to his place and found him in his living room. Looks like suicide."**

"**But is it?" Dean asked, getting up to put a shirt on and inconspicuously taking the gun from Sam to put it in its original place.**

"**I'm sure it wasn't. But there was something weird, though. He had the files from the police station. The ones that were stolen twenty years ago."**

"**You think they were planted there?" Sam asked.**

"**I do, yeah. We're seein' if we can get prints from it."**

"**How did you know we were here?" I asked suddenly.**

"**Are you kidding?" Eric asked. "I've had someone here the whole time. They followed you here."**

"**Whoever did this wants us to believe James is guilty," Sam said. "Which seems really…desperate."**

"**Yeah, so he's getting' sloppy," Eric said. "Which means this guy'll probably make a mistake."**

**Eric sat down at the table with the weapons on it, and I prayed he wouldn't look to close.**

"**Anyway…I really should call my dad. I hate to wake him up for bad news, though."**

"**So let him sleep," I suggested. "It's not like the news is gonna change."**

**Eric quirked the sides of his lips. "Right. I tried calling Wilson, but no one was home. Or if he was, he didn't answer."**

"**Hm." Dean sat down beside me. "Hey, uh, earlier tonight James told us you knew Sally. You were good friends with her."**

**Eric nodded sadly. "Yeah, me, Sally, and Michelle - Dr. Wilson's niece. That was our group. I used to think I was gonna die. Ya know, because both of them did." He sighed. "I always _knew_ something was wrong with them. Michelle was always a little shy. It took a year to get her to even talk to me, but Sally…Sally was outgoing before Michelle died. Sally and I did everything together, but then it just…stopped. A few years before she died."**

**Eric stood up. "I've gotta get back to the crime scene. But, uh…I'm gonna leave one of my men here. You guys are probably the prime targets." He looked at me. "He's already tried to kill you once." He now looked at the guys. "Don't leave her alone. He'll probably try something more permanent next time."**

* * *

**When the Sheriff had told us to not be alone we had taken it to heart. Now all of us - me, Sam, Dean, Bobby, _and_ Jack - were in the same room. We weren't taking any chances.**

"**So…who are we thinking did this?" I asked. "If I had to guess, I'd probably say…" I trailed off. I honestly didn't know. Both of them seemed sincerely disturbed by Sally's death. But that really didn't mean anything. A sociopath didn't show any remorse when they killed someone.**

**But both Henry and Dr. Wilson - had we ever even learned his first name? - had seemed nice enough. Wilson had saved my life, and then Henry had been concerned about my health. But both were good cover stories, too. Henry was concerned, so why would he try to kill me. Wilson saved my life. Why would he have saved my life if he had wanted me dead?**

"**Well, regardless of who did it…" Jack started, "he's gonna be pissed that the evidence didn't take. There's _no way_ James killed his own grandchild."**

**Bobby was still looking through the book he'd been reading the day before. It must really be interesting.**

"**Bobby, _what_ are you reading about?"**

"**You're transferring wounds thing."**

"**Oh." I hadn't expected that. "And?"**

"**Ya ever heard of stigmata?"**

"**Well, yeah," Sam said. "It's when people just appear with the same wounds that Jesus got when He was crucified."**

"**Right," Bobby said, not sounding surprised that Sam knew what that was. "There have been cases for centuries. It's scientifically unexplainable."**

"**Everything we deal with is scientifically unexplainable," I said. "But, yeah, anyway…go ahead."**

"**Most - or all, I guess - cases deal with religious wounds, but I guess this is the same concept."**

"**Is this gonna happen again?" Dean asked. "I mean, is this something we have to worry about now?"**

**Bobby had a how-am-I-supposed-to-know look on his face. "Not sure. James said it was probably that mixture of whatever he gave her, opened her mind up to Sally."**

**Hearing James' name did funny things inside my chest. Even though I hadn't known him long, I was sad and sorry that he'd died. He'd been…strange…but he'd been nice. It wasn't fair that he'd been killed.**

**But then, life was hardly ever fair. I'd learned that since I'd become a hunter.**

* * *

**An hour later, the deputy that Eric had left here came to the door and told us that Sheriff Johnson wanted us to come to the main house. Since the cabin was a crime scene, we'd have cops near us at all times. Plus…the main house was bigger so we could have a few deputies with us in the house.**

"**We should really get food," I said, my stomach growling. "I haven't eaten since before I…" _got attacked by the dream monster man_. But I couldn't say that to the deputy standing in our room. "I'm just…really hungry."**

"**So, we'll get some pizza on the way," the deputy said. "You can call it in now, it'll be done when you get there."**

**Good idea.**

**What was this guy's name, anyway, had we ever learned it? He was the one who'd been at the front desk the day Bobby and I had gone to the Sheriff's office.**

**But, no, we hadn't gotten his name.**

* * *

**In the car, Dean helped me get situated in the back before getting in the driver's seat. He seemed agitated, and I was sure it had to do with more than me. It was probably that we were under police protection…which meant we couldn't effectively do our jobs.**

**As soon as I'd laid down - it was more comfortable that way - I got extremely tired. Wasn't surprising, really. I'd lost a lot of blood the day before, and then we'd been woken up in the middle of the night.**

**Anyway, we'd found out that the deputy's name was Darren, and he was…a little overenthusiastic about his job. I hoped he wasn't trigger happy.**

**Now that I was laying down, I sorta felt like dozing off, so I just let everything slowly start to fade. The two guys weren't talking so…it wasn't hard. They probably knew I needed the rest, anyway. That's the main thing with healing - keeping your strength up and getting rest.**

* * *

**Surprisingly, it wasn't the smell of food that woke me up; it was people talking.**

"**You can't seriously be thinking someone walked through the front door, shot James, and then walked back out, locking the door behind them."**

**That was…Dr. Wilson's voice. I was pretty sure, anyway. What was he doing here? Had I hurt myself again without realizing it?**

"**What I'm thinking -" that was Sheriff Johnson's voice "- is that someone is dead. That's all I know right now."**

**I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn't in a bedroom - I was in a den type room. An entertainment room, maybe. And everyone was here. Dean - who I was laying on -, Sam, Bobby, Jack, Eric and his dad, and Dr. Wilson. Maybe they were in danger, too.**

"**So, what do you want us to do?" Henry asked his son softly.**

**Eric looked uncertain. The first time that had happened since this whole mess had come up.**

"**I don't know what else to do."**

**I sat up. "Well…first thing's first. The first time this guy killed…he did it out of rage. I don't think he planned to kill Sally until that night."**

**As I sat up, I had to pretend to favor my shoulder. True, everybody but Henry knew I could heal, but Eric and Wilson didn't know how fast. I didn't have to pretend my stomach was still bothering me, though. I grabbed at it, much like I had when I had woken from my dream. Natural reaction, I guess.**

"**You all right, Miss Daniels?" Wilson asked.**

"**Yeah, just…sat up too fast, I guess," I sighed. "Anyway, what I'm saying is…this time is different. This time he has time to think things through. It's out of fear, not rage."**

"**Most of the time," Henry started, "people make mistakes when they get desperate."**

"**Which means he'll be easier to find this time 'round," Wilson said. "But why are we all here? Isn't this making us easier targets?"**

"**Not with all the officers I have here," Eric said. "This guy would have to be nuts to -"**

"**This guy killed a little girl and an ex-priest. I think all bets are off on what he's capable of," I interrupted. I turned to Dean. "Did we get food?"**

**He grinned slightly. "No, I was planning on letting you starve." He got up. "Wait here, I'll get you something."**

"'**Kay." My focus landed on Eric and his dad. "Do you know why this guy killed James? I mean, was he only looking for a scapegoat? Or do you think it was somethin' else? Maybe James figured out who it was that killed his granddaughter."**

"**I'd say we should go the scapegoat route," the older Johnson said. "Like you said earlier…it seems planned out." He looked at his son. "Got the prints back on that file yet?"**

"**Nope. They'll call me in when they come back."**

"**Good," Henry said. "I wanna be there, too. This case stumped me when I was Sheriff. I wanna know why."**

* * *

**An hour later, Dean, Wilson, and Eric went to James' cabin. Eric had said he and his men couldn't get anymore evidence - they'd gone over the place with a fine-tooth comb. So he didn't mind them going as long as he went with them. Dean had wanted to see if he could find anything the cops may have missed. Dr. Wilson had wanted to see the place where James had died. They'd been friends and he wanted to pay his respects.**

**Henry hadn't say anything for a while - he looked lost in thought.**

"**So…you and James were friends also?" I said as a conversation starter.**

"**Yes. I'd know him since high school. He was a good man - a good priest, too. It's a shame he died."**

"**Yes, it is," I agreed. "Dr. Wilson didn't answer his phone this morning when Eric called him." I hadn't meant to change the subject so abruptly, I just did.**

**Anyway, everyone who was still here was still in the den. They seemed to be watching Henry, so I kept him talking.**

"**James told us that Wilson had a niece…that killed herself."**

"**Yup. I wanted to know why. I knew she'd had problems. Her parents had died, so of course she was sad. But she was getting better and then it was like she got worse than ever."**

"**Ya know," Sam said. "We're pretty sure she killed herself because she went through the same thing Sally went through."**

**Henry looked surprised. "I'm…not sure. They never did an autopsy."**

"**They wouldn't since she killed herself?" Jack asked.**

"**Right."**

"**So she could've been abused since she got here and no one would've known," I said. "And she lived with him, right? And Sally would've known and trusted him."**

"**But…no, he wouldn't do something like that."**

"**Okay," I said. "But he's with your son now. Who is a sheriff. Are you willing to bet his life on that?"**

"**I _know_ he would never hurt anyone. He lived for helping people."**

**Both were suspects, in my opinion.**

"**But…I wanna check, anyway," Henry said. "I should've gone in the first place. James was my friend, too."**

"**I'll come with you," Sam said automatically.**

"**Me, too."**

**Henry grinned half-heartedly. "You can barely stand straight, missy."**

"**I'll be fine," I said.**

* * *

**Jack, Bobby, Sam, Henry, and I were on the path in the woods. I'd grabbed a gun and put it in my pants and under my shirt. It might not have been the smartest thing legally speaking, but safety-wise…genius.**

**As we walked I thought. About everything.**

**James and I had said the one who had killed Sally had been someone she knew and trusted. Someone she _trusted_. She would've trusted her doctor or the sheriff.**

**But Henry didn't think the good doctor could do something like that. Maybe it was because he'd done it himself?**

**Dr. Wilson wanted nothing to do with the investigation. The only reason he'd gone to James' place was to say goodbye, or so he'd said.**

**But Henry was…invested…in the findings of the investigation. He said it was because he hadn't solved it so many years ago. But…if he'd done it then, of course he wouldn't have solved it. And he couldn't arrest someone else without have just cause. Right?**

**And he had access to the evidence, he'd admitted that himself. He'd been the lead investigator in that case, he would have been able to tamper with all the evidence and steal the files.**

**Sally had known him and would've trusted him. I was pretty sure, anyway. And then Michelle…had been protecting Eric from something. His father, maybe?**

**But Henry seemed so…normal. Not crazy, anyway. And nice.**

"**You a'right, girl?" That was Henry's voice, concerned. So, see? Nice. "You look like you just had an epiphany."**

"**I think I did," I said softly. "I think you're the reason Michelle and Sally are dead. I think you tried to kill Bobby, but I got in the way. I think Eric called you and told you that two reporters were checking out Sally Murphy's death and you freaked. He told you where we were staying and you headed over with a gun. You had plenty of time to get there. There was an oil spill on the road."**

**Henry moved slowly toward me. It wasn't threatening, but I drew out my gun anyway.**

"**What's the matter with you?" he asked. "You said you thought it was Wilson."**

"**I changed my mind," I said simply.**

"**Could you put the gun down? Do you even know how to use that thing?"**

"**Oh, I know how to use it." I took the safety off. "I could kill you just as easily as you killed James. Only I'll actually feel bad about it."**

**Henry didn't seem concerned. He probably didn't think I knew how to shoot or aim even though I'd said I did.**

**Sam, Jack, and Bobby had their eyes on us - mainly Henry - like they didn't want to miss a thing. Hadn't they brought guns, too? If they hadn't that was…very sloppy. Shame on them.**

"**Okay, girl, what do you want?"**

**He was giving me the control? Okay.**

"**I want you to start walking. We're gonna go have a talk with your son."**

**He threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, just don't pull the trigger. You don't wanna get in trouble."**

"**I won't unless you make me."**

**And if I was wrong…_I'd_ be the murderer, but I was 99% sure.**

**Before I knew what was happening, Henry jumped at me and grabbed my wrist, and turned the gun at…Sam. And then a shot rang out.**

* * *

**_Oh, God_. I'd shot Sam. And then I was being hit in the head. I wasn't even aware that I'd hit the ground until Henry kicked me in the stomach.**

**I couldn't breathe for about a minute, and I realized I didn't have my gun anymore. Henry had grabbed it.**

**Son of a _bitch_.**

**And I was pissed because I was friggin' paralyzed with pain and it friggin' sucked that I couldn't friggin' move. And I must've been channeling my inner-Dean or something because I usually didn't think or say friggin' so much.**

**And for a guy in his sixties, he was fit. But Jack tackled him to the ground and I curled in on myself, not wanting to move. But I had to get to Sam; he had fallen to the ground.**

"**Sam!" God, that was Dean.**

**I heard another shot and subconsciously jumped. I wondered who'd been shot this time.**

**I crawled my way over to Sam. He'd been shot in the leg and he was bleeding heavily.**

"**Dean, move," I said weakly, grabbing him.**

**He looked at me, terrified. "God, Aly." He touched my shirt and then as he pulled away, I saw his hand was covered in blood. Mine or Sam's, I didn't know.**

**I went back to focusing on Sam. If I had shot him a little higher, he'd no longer have a happy place.**

**I placed my hand firmly on his wound…but nothing happened.**

"**It's not working," I said.**

"**What?" Dean and Bobby, who was beside us, said desperately.**

"**It's not working."**

**My mom's words came back to me. I couldn't heal everything. But…I had healed Dean's shoulder and that had been a gunshot wound. So what had been different?**

**Well, I hadn't been hurt, but that wasn't gonna stop me - I refused to let it, because Sam was bleeding out and he'd never make it to the hospital in time. But another thing that had been different was that Dean hadn't had the bullet in his wound. And that made sense because _I_ couldn't heal myself if something was in the way.**

"**Dean, you have to get the bullet out. I can't heal him with it in there."**

**So here we were in the middle of the woods and Dean had to lower Sam's pants. Since the wound was so high up, that made more sense than cutting them all the way up.**

**As Dean was working, I noticed that Eric, and Wilson was here, too. And the Dad was okay. He must've shot Henry.**

**Oh, but…no. Eric had a gun pointed at Henry. Maybe he'd been the one to shoot him. I didn't know; I'd been a little preoccupied with the pain I'd been in, so I wasn't even sure when Eric had gotten here. Had it been after Dean arrived or around the same time?**

**I heard Sam groan and I caught his eye. His pupils were dilated. He was going into shock. His skin was pale, and his lips were colorless. His body was lacking it's usual warmth.**

"**Okay, go!" Dean said.**

**I placed both my hands on Sam's wound and the Dean placed his hand on mine. Together, we pressed - hard - and then…nothing happened again.**

**I was too weak, it seemed.**

**As soon as that thought crossed my mind something in me pulled at something in Dean - strength, maybe - and my -our? - hands started glowing. And together we saved Sam.**

**I felt it as warmth - the warmth that came every time I healed someone - passed from Dean's body to mine to Sam's. And then I realized I was…draining Dean. He began gasping for breath - his body wasn't made for this.**

**Since Sam was healed - it had taken maybe fifteen seconds - I tried to make Dean let me go, but he kept holding on. He was transferring his strength into me now, and I was healing myself.**

**I let him continue for about five more seconds and then I broke the spiritual parts of us that were connected, and he slumped against me, trembling - probably from exhaustion.**

"**Everybody okay?" came a broken, breathless whisper. Eric. Oh, wow. He must be confused. I mean, Henry had been his dad.**

**But Eric's question made me look at everyone to see if they were okay. Sam had his color back, but he still seemed weak. He'd lost a lot of blood. It would take a while to recover. Dean was slumped against me, my arms wrapped around him. Bobby was beside us, and so was Jack now. Wilson was near Henry - checking his pulse? - and Eric was still holding the gun that had been aimed at Henry.**

**I felt sorry for the guy. He seemed to have hero-worshipped his dad, had trusted him above all others, and now he was dead. And he had been the one to kill him.**

* * *

**An hour later, everyone but Eric was back at the main house. He'd called in reinforcements and had sent us back to the house so he could talk to us later.**

**As soon as we'd gotten back to the house, we helped both Sam and Dean into bed - Sam because of his blood loss, and Dean because of his self-sacrificing idiocy. They both needed their rest. And they both fell asleep almost instantly.**

**Jack and Bobby had taken care of Sam; Wilson and I took care of Dean.**

**I kissed Dean on the forehead gently, tucking him in. Funny, considering he was twenty-eight. But he'd been bone-tired,; he'd barely made it back here without passing out.**

"**I'm sorry," I said to Wilson. "He was your friend."**

"**No, I _thought_ he was my friend. When really he was just a murderer."**

"**Why'd he do it?" Eric's voice came through the doorway. So, he had arrived. "I'm just…she was just a little girl."**

"**She told him no," I said softly. "Guess it made him mad."**

**Eric scoffed. "I was around the same age as Sally so I don't remember much, but he always seemed so…_committed_…to this case. I guess now I know why, huh?"**

**Eric stepped back out of the room and I looked at the doctor. "Stay with Dean?"**

"**Of course," he said. He sounded tired, and he had tears in his eyes.**

"**Hey, are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.**

"**Michelle killed herself because of him. And he walked around like it didn't faze him. I don't understand how…someone can do something like that. I don't understand how I never guessed."**

"**Dr. Wilson -"**

"**Seth," he interrupted. "You can call me Seth."**

"**Seth, you weren't the only one he fooled. No one suspected him. But I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Michelle and Sally had to die because Henry was a monster."**

**I squeezed his shoulder softly. "I'll be right back, okay? I wanna check on Eric, see if he's okay."**

**I went out the room, went to check on Sam - he was still asleep - and then checked the other rooms for Eric. He ended up in the den. He was on the couch with his head in his hands. I wondered if he wanted to be alone, but I knocked anyway.**

"**Sheriff?"**

"**Yeah?" He looked up. "Miss Daniels. Is something wrong?"**

"**No. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I mean, he was you dad. So, I'm sorry."**

**Eric shook his head. "I'm not. I'm glad I'm the one who…"**

**Okay, so he was the type to lie to himself. That was good to know.**

"**What happened out there?" he asked suddenly, looking at my shirt.**

**I looked at my clothes, which were bloody. I had forgotten Dean's strength had healed me; I wasn't in any pain anymore. I had been so caught up with getting Dean here that I had forgotten how messy I looked.**

"**Did you…_heal_ him?" he asked, hushed. "How is that even possible?"**

**I smiled softly, sitting beside him. "Remember when I told you I was different?"**

"**You mean, you've done that before?"**

**I shrugged sheepishly. "Once or twice."**

**He shook his head. "That's kind of…amazing." He was looking at me now…studying me. It was kinda making me nervous.**

"**What?"**

"**Nothin'," he said quickly. "Just…you can heal people. I'm waiting for you to sprout wings and a halo."**

**I blushed, but continued smiling nonetheless. "I'm human, not an angel. Besides, I think I'd look goofy with wings." I sobered quickly. "But really…are you okay?"**

"**No," he said. "I feel really stupid."**

"**Well, you shouldn't. Nobody else knew either." I sighed. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."**

"**Well, thank you," he said sincerely. "And _thank you_."**

"**No problem," I said. I was pretty sure he was talking about solving the case. "So…if that's all, I wanna get back to my guys."**

"**Yeah, sure. I may need to get a statement from you later."**

"**We'll be here." I got up and stopped at the door, turning back to him. "I don't think I really have to ask, but…don't tell anyone about me?"**

**Eric smiled slightly. "My lips are sealed."**

* * *

**As I was walking up the stairs, I thought about how Dean and I had connected earlier and how Dean had refused to let go. It hadn't occurred to me while it had been happening - I'd been focused on saving Sam so not much else had penetrated my mind - but now, looking back, I remembered we'd been _connected_. And in that moment, I'd been able to feel everything he'd been feeling. Terror at losing Sam, then fear because I was hurt again, determination to save us both, hopelessness when I couldn't heal Sam, wonder when I'd reached into him for strength.**

**I didn't even know how I'd done that. I just remembered knowing that I was too weak to help Sam on my own. I'd known I'd needed more and then _that_ had happened.**

**I wondered if I'd be able to do it again. Or if this was because of everything else that had happened. But something told me this was natural for me. I'd be able to do it again.**

* * *

Okay, so I know the whole connecting thing is weird, but if you remember a couple chapters back, James said she might be able to feel things that other people are feeling, and then I was like well...if they were connected then they were **connected**. It makes sense to me anyway. LOL. But as always, please let me know what you think. And thanks.


	48. The First Time

**Okay, so I know that I haven't updated in a while, but I have a very good reason. I've had doctor appointments - not to mention I wanted to make this chapter RIGHT. But, yeah, about the doctor appointments. I'll have more in the future, so if I don't update as often, that's why. But I'm still writing, so don't worry. I DO intend to finish this series. Or since I'm turning it into a story would it be considered a Saga? LOL Enjoy.**

**The First Time**

**By the time Dean woke up I had been to sleep too, and I was now there just waiting to make sure he was okay. When he opened his eyes, I smiled slightly.**

"**Hi."**

"**Hey," he said softly. "Are you okay?"**

**I shook my head. "You had the life drained out of you, and you're asking me if I'm okay?" I laid my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for that, by the way."**

"**Hey, I'm the one who wouldn't let go."**

"**Right," I said, stroking his chest through his shirt. "Don't do that again. Seriously. I could've killed you."**

"**But you didn't…so."**

"**Are you feeling okay?" I asked. "Really?"**

"**Yeah. Still just a little tired." He grabbed my hand that was still running up and down his chest. "Is Sam okay?"**

"**Yeah. He'll get his strength back soon."**

"**Good."**

**I nodded. "Mm-hm." I lifted my head and kissed him chastely, innocently. He responded in kind and then the kiss deepened.**

**My hand slipped beneath his shirt, and his breathing hitched.**

"**This okay?" I whispered against his lips. "I mean…are you okay to be doing this?"**

"**Uh, yeah," Dean said, with a duh sound in his voice. Dean could probably be on the verge of death and he'd still say yes.**

**I grinned. "Okay…don't move." I kissed him one last time and got up and went to close the door, but then changed my mind. "I'll be back in a minute."**

**I went to get our stuff out of the den and then came back to the room and locked the door behind me. I didn't want any unneeded interruptions.**

**Dean was sitting at the foot of the bed. When I reached him I slowly lifted his shirt over his head. Then I kissed him again, while shifting out of my jeans.**

**He pulled me down to him and then flipped us so he was on top of me. My hands slowly explored his bare firmly muscled back, gently going down and then back up again. His hands were smoothing over my sides, his fingers playing lightly over the juncture where my shirt met my underwear.**

**I squirmed a little beneath him, maneuvering myself so I could remove my shirt, and then I was kissing him again. His tongue dove into my mouth and it was soft and sweet and gentle.**

**His hand traveled up my side toward my breast, his calloused fingers were a complete contrast to the tenderness he was expressing. His movements were tentative, almost. Experimental. Just like almost every other touch we'd shared since the Sam incident.**

**I loved him for it.**

**I grabbed his traveling hand. "Dean, I'm okay. Really," I said affectionately. And I meant it. I really was okay. "But if it gets to be too much I'll let you know, okay?"**

**We picked up right where we'd left off. My front clasp bra was off in record time and Dean was finally touching me.**

**Dean began kissing my neck and sucking at it gently. My pulse point was my sensitive spot and Dean laved it with attention. He made his way downwards past my breasts, using his tongue and teeth to mark his path.**

**When he reached my belly button, his tongue circled around it once and then delved inside before flicking back out.**

**My breath caught as I said his name. He seemed to be content - at the moment - to just kiss my stomach. Probably just loving the fact that I was okay now.**

**His fingers played around the tip of my panties and his eyes searched for mine, a silent question passed from him to myself. I lifted my hips and then the panties were gone.**

**Suddenly his mouth found my pelvic bone, which I found to be pleasantly…stimulating. Each kiss and swirl of his tongue was bringing him closer to…**

**Oh my God, if he was gonna do what I thought he was gonna do then…**

**I squirmed beneath him again, although this time it was for an entirely different reason. I'd said I was okay, and I was, but I couldn't help remembering how low I'd felt when I'd done what I'd done to Sam…how degrading it had been.**

"**Dean -" I was slightly breathless, "- you don't have to…ya know?"**

**He smiled softly at me. "Open your legs for me."**

**Okay, well, Dean seemed to _want_ to do this so…I relaxed and slowly opened myself up. He fit himself comfortable down there for what he was about to do and then…then…his tongue swiped from my entrance to the top where he circled my clit. My whole body sorta jumped, because…wow. His tongue was so…soft and wet, and I'd never felt anything like this.**

**Dean fit his hands under me and lifted my hips off the bed before continuing his drive-me-crazy session. His tongue was doing amazingly sinful things to me, and I was pretty much just trying to keep from bucking up against his mouth. I lost that battle when I felt his tongue go _in_ me.**

**I found myself trying to bring myself closer, get him deeper, and his tongue continued to dart in and out.**

"**Dean," I gasped, grabbing the side of mattress.**

**His tongue left to move back up to my clit, and his mouth was pressing against me like…like he was trying to catch my bud in between his teeth. Was that even possible?**

**And then…oh, he did catch me between his teeth, and it felt like he was sorta _sucking_ on it, and that was all for me. I felt a blindingly hot orgasm pass through me and I arched against him. And then a finger was going into me - mid-orgasm - and it felt amazing. The second finger felt even better.**

**Our positions got a little awkward then because Dean was working his way back up my body while keeping his fingers in me. When he reached my lips, he hesitated before kissing me.**

**I tasted myself on his lips and tongue, which should've been gross, but instead it was strangely erotic. I tasted…earthy, maybe?**

"**Dean," I said into the kiss, breaking away.**

"**Hm?"**

"**I…I wanna be with you." It was a soft yet firm confession.**

**Dean's fingers stilled inside me, and he looked at me intensely. I could tell he was wondering if I really meant it, which I did, even if now that I'd said it out loud I was starting to feel nervous. What if _he_ didn't want to?**

**He removed his fingers - much to my disappointment - and reached for a pillow. A pillow?**

"**Raise up," he said softly.**

**I did as requested and then the pillow was being placed under the lower part of my back. And then he was removing his boxers - I didn't know when he'd removed his jeans, but he had - and then he went back to pleasuring me. Only this time it was more about stretching me than anything else because he tried adding a third finger. I had to keep myself from flinching away from the intrusion, because if I wasn't ready for three fingers then I definitely wouldn't be able to take _him_.**

**Only when I was keening and pushing against his fingers did he remove them. He reached over the side of the bed and I could tell he was searching for something. Our bags were there, but I didn't know what he was looking for.**

**Turns out, it was lube…which, smart, since it was my first time. Although, I thought I was wet enough.**

"**Do you carry that with you all the time?" I asked, grinning.**

"**Hey, I didn't always have a girlfriend," he defended himself, light-heartedly, and I shook my head fondly, forgetting my nervousness for now.**

**I watched, fascinated, as he slicked himself, and then he eased over me slowly and completely, resting his weight on his elbows, and he was still looking tenderly down at me.**

**And wow…he wasn't in me yet, but I could feel him there between my legs, and I clutched at his upper arms. I knew this was gonna hurt, and I suddenly felt…vulnerable.**

**I was holding onto him so tightly my arms began to shake, and I knew what was wrong - I was thinking too much about how bad it was gonna hurt, and it was making me scared. I'd heard horror stories about girls' first time's.**

"**Are you freaking out?" Dean asked, and I could hear just a tad bit of amusement in his voice.**

"**Yeah," I said honestly. "I think I am."**

"**Do you wanna stop?" His voice was strained, and I knew this must've been hard for him, to not be moving.**

"**No," I replied firmly. I really didn't want to stop, I was just…nervous.**

**Dean leaned down and captured my lips in a soft, soothing kiss, and then said, "it's okay. Just wrap your legs around me. I'll do the rest."**

**I obeyed and clung to him - more than I already was. He reached down between our bodies and fit himself to me and I felt as his tip went in.**

**And really, at first it was okay. Dean was going slow and being gentle and not even really pushing all that much. But then a couple seconds later…it just wasn't working. It was hurting and I tensed around him.**

**Dean stopped moving completely. "You're gonna have to relax," he said, panting.**

**I bit my lip, nodded, and breathed. Dean withdrew and tried again, this time getting a little further. So, shallow thrusts it was for now.**

**I felt a sharp pain between my legs - Dean had obviously breached my barrier - and he caught my lips in another kiss to keep me from crying out. From what I'd heard, that was supposed to be the hardest part of a girl's first time, so I settled down thinking that the worst was over.**

**And then with one final thrust, he was fully sheathed in me. He stopped moving again, though he was shaking with the effort it took to keep still.**

**After maybe twenty seconds I moved underneath him and found it was still…uncomfortable - not unbearable though. And I felt really full with him in me.**

"**I'm okay, I think," I said. "You can move."**

**Dean began thrusting slowly and shallowly, only withdrawing a third of the way before pushing back in. It felt...odd and new.**

**Timidly, I matched his movements with my own, and on the next thrust he withdrew a little more before sliding in a little faster. My body, thankfully, was adjusting to him.**

**After a short amount of time, we seemed to find a rhythm that suited us, and Dean grabbed onto my hips and positioned me so he could use a different angle, and he hit _that_ spot inside me, making me flutter around him briefly.**

**Dean's rhythm stuttered and he growled my name. Literally growled.**

**I slipped my legs up higher and he grabbed one of them and moved it to where my knee pressed against his shoulder.**

**This position was more pleasurable for some reason, and I was able to take him deeper. Our bodies moved together in perfect synchronicity, and we began moving jerkily against each other. And then I cried out as I came, my muscles clamping around him.**

**And this time I was sure it wasn't because of how good it felt, because as far as him making me feel good…I was still slightly uncomfortable, but it was because…we were so close. So physically connected it would have been hard to tell where one of us began and the other ended. It was the closeness that had done it.**

**And then…oh no.**

**I began to go into him, but it wasn't me, exactly - it was a part of me. Like…my soul, maybe. It was just like what had happened earlier when we'd healed Sam. Our souls were connecting.**

**Dean's whole body tensed, and he started bucking his hips wildly and I felt as he came inside me, which sent me over the edge again. I wasn't sure that was normal, but there it was.**

**Dean must not have understood exactly what was happening, because he shrunk away - or his soul did, anyway.**

"**It's just me," I said softly, breathlessly.**

**And then we were wrapped up in each other in every way that counted, and this time…neither of us was taking. We just _were_. But slowly, the spell faded.**

**Dean pretty much collapsed on me. We were both panting and shaking badly, and I felt vaguely concerned that Dean may have overexerted himself.**

"**I'll move in a minute," Dean said huskily and tiredly.**

"**I don't mind you here," I whispered. I mean, no, I didn't want to fall asleep like this or anything, but for now it was okay, comforting. And as if to prove my point, I released my grip on his arms, stretching my hands because they were stiff from holding on so tight, and wrapped my arms around him.**

**His head was in the crook of my neck, and we were both learning to function properly again.**

**The leg that had been wrapped around him fell to the bed clumsily. I was happy; as far as first times could go…this hadn't been bad. It had hurt, yeah, but the intimacy of us being together like this had surpassed the pain.**

**I winced a little as he pulled out slowly. I didn't know if it was because of the uncomfortableness or because now I felt oddly empty since he was no longer buried inside me.**

**And, wow, I was gonna ache in places I didn't even know I had, but other than that…I felt normal.**

**He laid beside me and I noticed the smell of sex and sweat filled the air, which I was okay with.**

"**You okay?" Dean asked, placing a hand over my stomach where my wound had been.**

**I placed my hand over his. "Mm. Better than okay."**

**I looked up at him, a silent I-love-you drifting between us. Neither of us had to say it; it was felt.**

* * *

"**Hey, wake up," I heard Dean say softly.**

"**Mm." I tried turning over and then when that didn't work I opened my eyes - even though I didn't really want to. "Hm?"**

"**Come with me," he requested gently. He was squatting down in front of me, so I didn't have to move to see him.**

"**Where?" I asked.**

"**Take a bath," he said with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Do you want to?"**

"**Now? What time is it?"**

"**Uh…ten at night."**

**I'd been asleep for about four hours so I didn't mind getting up to take a bath - yes, we were staying in a place that had an actual bathtub. But I was sore from the extreme workout sex had turned out to be.**

"**Just…give me a minute," I said, pulling the sheet around me.**

"**Sore?" Dean was concerned.**

**I blushed. "A little."**

**He smiled tenderly. "Come here." He moved to pick me up and I wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling into his shoulder. He had picked me up - sheet and all.**

**In the hallway we encountered Sam, who shouldn't have been up at all with as much blood as he'd lost earlier.**

"**What're you guys doin'?"**

"**Getting ready to take a bath, Sammy."**

**Sam wasn't acting strange, so I assumed Dean had his boxers on at least.**

"**Together?" Sam asked, sounding incredulous. "Bobby and Jack are right down the hall."**

"**Which is why you need to be quiet and go back to bed, Sam."**

"**A'right, a'right, jeez." He turned to go to his room. "Don't drown each other."**

**That last remark had been said playfully and it made me blush, hiding my face further into Dean's shoulder.**

**When we were in the bathroom, Dean used his foot to shut the door…The bathroom was big-ish. Big enough for one of those round tubs that could hold three people comfortably. The light was off, but there was a warm glow coming from vanilla scented candles.**

"**Dean," I whispered softly; I was sort of in awe. "When d'you do all this?"**

"**Before I woke you up. Conveniently enough, this house is full of candles." **

**I smiled as Dean set me gently on my feet. "Um…this is sweet and all," I teased, "but doesn't the seduction usually come _before_ the sex?"**

"**Usually," Dean agreed. "But you kinda…took me by surprise there."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Oh yeah."**

**I dropped the sheet slowly from around me, and stepped closer to my ultra-caring boyfriend.**

"**So, um…how about after the bath we try for round two?" I smiled slightly. "Just so you can feel good about your seduction technique, of course."**

"**All you want is to make me feel my technique worked?"**

**We were playing a game now - a sweet little lovers game. Mm. Dean was my _lover _now.**

"**Yup. That's all I want."**

"**And you get nothing - no pleasure - from it at all?"**

"**Nope," I said, fighting back a grin. "None at all."**

"**Hm. I guess I'll have to fix that, huh?" He placed his hands on my hips, bringing me so close our chests touched skin-to-skin. "I mean, it hardly seems fair that only I feel good."**

"**Right…you should definitely do something about that."**

**Our lips pressed together then, our word-play forgotten.**

* * *

**The bath had been great - I hadn't had an _actual_ bath since…before I'd come on the road with the guys, so it was relaxing to let myself soak in the just-right water.**

**And what had come after had been even better. And relaxing was also involved there, too. The second time had been so much better than the first. The uncomfortableness had passed a lot quicker, and Dean hadn't had to treat me like breakable glass. He hadn't had to control his movements so he wouldn't hurt me. It had felt more natural, more us…so, yeah, it had been better.**

**And now we were both sated and sweaty - I was even pleasantly numb.**

**Dean seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he wrapped his arms around me, saying, "round two seemed to go better than round one."**

"**Definitely." _But I'm definitely gonna be sore when I wake up tomorrow, too_, I added silently.**

**The second time we'd made love we hadn't done the connecting thing - other than physically, of course. I had held myself back because Dean had pulled away before. I didn't want to force myself on him. Forcing your soul to connect with someone else's soul was probably the most invasive thing you could do, the easiest and most traumatic way you could violate someone.**

"**So…" Dean began. "For someone who gets no pleasure out of this…you sure are responsive."**

"**Hm." I laughed weakly. "Well, I wouldn't want to hurt your male ego," I teased. "I know it can be so fragile."**

**I kissed his chest where my head was laying against him to let him know I wasn't being serious. How I felt about him and how much pleasure he brought me had nothing to do with his ego or with me trying to soothe it.**

"**So…um -" I was suddenly self-conscious, "- as far as first times go…ours was good?"**

"**When you've already gone through two rounds and you feel you could go again then…yeah, it was good."**

"**Again?" I asked sheepishly. "Really? I'm not gonna be able to move tomorrow."**

"**Which is why we're not going to. I just said I _wanted_ to," Dean specified.**

**Things were silent for a while, but neither of us were drifting off to sleep. But after about five minutes of us just enjoying each others company, Dean started talking.**

"**So, did you enjoy the first time better than the second?"**

"**Um…why?"**

"**The connecting thing didn't happen the second time."**

**I snuggled into his side - we fit together so perfectly it was like we were two parts of a whole, like we'd been sculpted to fit together, only we'd been separated for a while.**

"**Oh. I wasn't sure you wanted…that," I said. "It was kinda weird and…"**

"**It _was_ weird, but a good weird, not a creepy weird."**

"**So…it's okay?"**

"**It's a part of who you are. And…that connecting thing saved Sam's life. It's a good thing."**

**So…next time I wouldn't hold myself back.**

* * *

**The next morning Jack was acting stranger than normal, and I vaguely wondered if he could tell I was no longer a virgin. They say girls look different after their first time, so maybe he saw something not normally their in my eyes. But I didn't feel any different.**

**Sam kept sending knowing glances my way, which turned my face beet red every time. Eventually I told him to cut it out, and he listened.**

**And then there was Bobby. I could tell that he knew from the way he looked at me. There were certain ways I would move and because I was sore I had to be slower than normal. He'd get this look on his face that clearly stated 'I know what you did last night'. But he wasn't doing it on purpose, so…**

**Anyway, Sam, Dean, Bobby and I were getting ready to leave - Jack was gonna stay for James' funeral. Dean had gotten mine and his stuff together and taken it to the car.**

**Jack had given me a blue journal type thing and told me he'd had one too.**

"**I used it to record my…life and power and stuff. Every time something new happened I'd put it down."**

**I smoothed my hand over the leather bound journal. It was sky blue - my favorite color - and cool to the touch. It had Alyson Nicole Daniels engraved on the front in bright white cursive font. The paper inside was a lighter shade of blue - I could see between the covers.**

"**Oh, wow." A hunter's journal. This was actually really great. "Thank you."**

"**Yeah. I just thought since everything is goin' on that you might wanna write stuff down. Ya know, things you've done, the way it feels when you come up against something. You'll be able to compare and contrast how you feel and things like that."**

"**This is pretty awesome, actually," I said, hugging him lightly.**

**For the first time, I felt a tug of regret that he had to leave - or that _I_ was leaving _him_.**

"**You make sure Dean takes care of you."**

**Regret turned into annoyance as he said that and I pulled away from him. When did Dean ever _not_ take care of me?**

"**Ya know, you might as well get used to me being with him because that's not gonna change. And I _will_ choose him over you if I have to."**

**Jack nodded once, stiffly. "I just…don't want you getting hurt."**

"**Dean…will make sure that doesn't happen, okay? Happy?"**

**He was as happy as he was gonna get, anyway.**

"**So, I'll call you, okay?" I asked, getting ready to go out the door. "And thanks for the journal. Really."**

* * *

**In the car, Sam was mercilessly teasing Dean and then inadvertently teasing me.**

"**Dean…are you _glowing_?"**

"**Shut up, Sam," Dean said, and if he'd been the blushing kind…he'd have been blushing right about now.**

"**Oh my God, you are."**

"**Shut up, Sam." I was the one who said it this time. "Just because you never get any doesn't mean you can make fun of Dean when he does."**

"**Yeah, Sammy, what she said."**

**It shut Sam up, that. Which was good because a silent Sam was better than a teasing Sam. In this situation, anyway.**

* * *

Okay, so...did I do the sex scene right? I wasn't exactly happy with it, but that's what I came up with. As always, tel me what you think. Thanks.


	49. Heart Pt One

**Flight815Down: Hey, yeah, Sam is traumatized for life. :) Also...sorry about Alastair following you around. Please don't get tortured. But it's not my fault, I didn't sic him on you. LOL. Just carry you some holy water and an exorcism book around and you'll be fine. Oh and also...a trench coat wearing angel would be good to have around.**

**Kari10: Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for the concern. I think I'm okay. I just have this thing I have to get surgery for but the way it was described to me it's not fatal or anything. It's just something I should've gotten checked a long time ago and didn't so now, it's worse than it would've been.**

**To all my readers: The surgery may make me not be able to update for a while (I'm not sure because I haven't actually talked to a doctor yet, I do that tomorrow, and I'll find out all the details.) But I will be continuing to write whether I'm able to get on the computer or not, so when I do update I'll have more than normal, probably. I'm not giving this story up, so don't worry.**

**Heart  
Part One**

**The journal my dad had given me turned out to be a good source of outlet for me, although I really didn't need it - I could talk to Sam and Dean about almost anything.**

**It was just that things were getting stranger for me than normal. I was having…weird dreams. They weren't like the ones that had connected me to Sally, but they still felt real.**

**I was still stuck on what my mother had said to me on my vision quest. Dean wouldn't be with me forever and my dreams were filled with him leaving or dying. And then there was Hell. My mom had put me there for maybe fifteen seconds and I'd begged her to let me out.**

**My mind couldn't - _wouldn't_ - accept the fact that Dean was gonna go there. He was basically a good person, right? So he couldn't end up there. Not really.**

**My dreams ranged from Dean telling me he didn't want to be with me anymore, that he didn't love me anymore, to Sam telling Dean that we weren't going to let him go to Hell, and Dean just said we had to.**

**Both dreams left me with an empty feeling, like there was nothing left inside me, no heart, no soul…nothing. Both dreams had me crying in my sleep and waking up with my heart thumping wildly in my chest. All my dreams had me on edge. I was just waiting for it to happen.**

**We'd been at Bobby's for three days now. Dean and Sam - mostly Sam - needed time to recover properly. Sam's blood needed to replenish itself, and Bobby's place had become a safe haven for us when we didn't have a job to do.**

**Anyway, back to the dreams. They were beginning to bother Dean, or…_concern_ him was probably a better word. And I knew it hurt him when I wouldn't tell him my dreams, but how do you tell the man you love that he's destined to go to Hell?**

**You can't. Right?**

**So things were tense between us, which was ironic because things between Sam and myself were amazing. They were as close to normal as they'd been for a while. But I was keeping things from him, too.**

**He didn't know he was my opposite equal enemy. Or if you went by the prophecy he was, anyway. But you can't tell someone you see as a brother that you're meant to kill each other. Right?**

* * *

**It didn't surprise me when the next time I had a nightmare, Dean didn't even ask about what I'd dreamt. He just looked at me - his eyes showed concern and annoyance at the same time.**

"**Another nightmare?" he asked softly, but I could tell he wasn't gonna push for what it was that was bothering me.**

**I didn't answer, I only nodded.**

**When the light had come on and my eyes had adjusted, I saw something in Dean's eyes that scared me. I knew he felt I was pushing him away, but I wasn't. I just didn't know how to explain myself properly.**

"**I love you," I said, hushed. "No matter what I'm doing right now, I love you."**

**I sat up and leaned back against the headboard. And he came back to sit beside me.**

"**Well, then…talk to me," he said. "Or, hell, talk to _somebody_. Because whatever you're doing by yourself isn't working."**

"**I can't. I wish I…" I trailed off.**

"**What's goin' on, Aly? Whatever is happening, it's affecting _us_ now, and I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."**

**I felt as tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill over. "God, Dean. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know how to help you."**

**And now Dean looked confused. Whatever he'd expected me to say, it wasn't that.**

"**What?" he asked comically.**

"**I, um…nothing. I shouldn't have said that."**

"**Hey." He brought his hand up to wipe away my tears, sliding down the curve of my jaw. His thumb traced my bottom lip. "Tell me."**

**And that was hardly fair, him pleading with soft caresses.**

"**Don't go," I said. "I don't want you to go."**

"**I'm right here." He moved closer. "Is that what this is about? You're scared I'm gonna leave you?"**

**Dean was trying so hard to understand, to make me feel better, but I didn't know what to do now. I knew he was here right now, but the dreams wouldn't go away.**

**I silent sob escaped and I shook my head. I suddenly felt stupid for worrying about things that hadn't happened yet or might not happen at all, actually.**

"**What, then?"**

"**I'm scared you won't have a choice." I grabbed his hand. "In my dream -" one of them, anyway, "- I…beg you not to go but you just walk away."**

"**Why would you dream that?" He was staring intently at our connected hands like they held all the answers in the world. "Do you…think I would do that to you?"**

"**No," I said firmly. Although sometimes when I wasn't doing anything I would stop and think how lucky I was to have someone like him. Someone so…heroic. Someone so willing to do almost anything to help the ones he cared about. "That's why…I just don't want you going anywhere. Okay?"**

"**I'm not gonna leave you."**

**He pulled me to him and I was suddenly wrapped in the warmth of his arms. It soothed the patheticness I felt. For now.**

* * *

"**I wanna feel you," Dean suddenly said.**

**He'd been holding me for a few minutes now and the sound of his voice ringing out startled me.**

"**Um…you're holding me."**

"**That's not what I mean," Dean said.**

"**Dean…"**

"**No. It could help. Really."**

**Dean was talking about the soul connecting thing. Dean had taken to that surprisingly well. He enjoyed it, even. He said it was amazing to be _that_ close to someone and not feel crowded or threatened.**

**And this came easily to me. It was almost automatic. I could reach out, and if Dean was close by then I'd be able to feel him, though we could only connect when we were touching. But when we were connected we could feel whatever the other person was feeling. We could almost hear each others thoughts - we probably would be able to when I grew stronger.**

"**I won't push," he promised. "I just wanna feel you."**

"**Okay," I said slowly.**

**Maybe if I just focused on us being together now then maybe he wouldn't be able to tell what dreams I'd been having. And it wasn't that I didn't _want_ to tell him; I just didn't know how to. Maybe he'd be able to feel that, too.**

**The slow soul journey began. I wasn't sure if soul was the right word to use, but that's what I was going with. When mine met his I could feel an almost joy, but it wasn't my own. Dean was happy that I wasn't holding this back from him. _This_ was still the same, this connecting thing we did. Dean came at it with a child's curiosity and wonder and amazement. It was extremely endearing.**

**It was odd but it was like our souls were dancing in time with each other. I'd heard people say that before, but I was pretty sure they hadn't meant literally. Not like this.**

**I was so focused on the spiritual connecting of us, that when his mouth connected with mine, it took me by surprise. His lips were insistent but soft over mine. I could feel the love he felt for me, and then the confusion at why I was keeping something as simple as a dream from him.**

**I hated that I was hurting him, but I didn't know how to tell him what was bothering me. Would he believe me if I told him?**

"**Believe what?" Dean asked against me. "What won't I believe?"**

**Did he hear my thoughts? Would I be able to hear his?**

"**I can hear bits and pieces," Dean said out loud. "I think our connection grows stronger every time we do this."**

"**Oh."**

**I reached out tentatively with my mind, just to see if I'd be able to connect like he had - and why was he able to do that, anyway? Missouri hadn't been able to read my mind and she was a professional.**

**I wondered if this connecting was even good for us. I mean, someone's mind was their most private place, so what if I read something he didn't want me to read. So, really, when I thought about it, us reading each other's mind was probably not the brightest idea.**

"**Do you always rant to yourself like that?" Dean asked, amused.**

"**Yes," I answered simply. "You should've heard the stuff that was goin' through my head the first time we had sex."**

**I tried again to read his thoughts, but I wasn't all that successful. All I got was that he was focused on me.**

"**I can't feel you," I whispered softly. "I mean…in my head. Usually I can feel when someone's trying to get in my head…but with you, it's like it's okay for you to be there. Ya know?"**

"**Well, it _is_ okay for me to be there. We're us, ya know?"**

**I sighed, deciding to just open my mind to him - my dreams and all. If he really wanted to know, I'd let him know. It wasn't worth losing what we had, keeping this from him. That was one of the things I liked most about us - we were always open with each other.**

**The first thing that popped in my mind was Hell, and Dean's whole being sorta flinched away from mine, so I grabbed onto him, and I let him get the full experience.**

**Through me he could smell sulfur and blood and burning flesh. He could hear people screaming in agony, people screaming for help even though no help was coming. He could feel pain and evil and hopelessness and then I broke our mind connection. I shut him out completely.**

"**I'm sorry," I whispered. "But you wanted to know what I was dreaming about."**

"**Why were you dreaming that?" he demanded. "Where was that?"**

"**That was Hell, Dean. My mom sent me there for maybe fifteen seconds, and I begged her to let me out."**

"**Why'd she send you there? I thought she was supposed to help you."**

"**She did." I took a breath and let it out slowly. I broke our bond gently before I continued talking, but he kept hold of my hand. "Remember when my mom said you wouldn't be with me forever? That you wouldn't be able to protect me forever?"**

"**Yeah," he said hesitantly. "What about it?"**

"**I asked where you were going and she sent me there."**

"**Why?" Dean's voice was breathless, hushed. He was worried.**

"**Mom told me I wouldn't be able to save you," I said softly. "No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to save you."**

**Dean looked like he understood now even if he didn't like it. I was suddenly very sorry that I'd severed our connection. I wanted to know what he was feeling now that he knew. But I could tell he understood and didn't blame for withholding my dreams from him. I didn't have to read his mind to be able to read his face. I could usually see every emotion he had when it crossed his face.**

"**That's what you meant by you didn't want me to go, isn't it?" Dean asked quietly. "Your mom told you that I end up there."**

"**Yes," She had. "But I'm not gonna let that happen. I don't care, I'll…train every day if I have to."**

"**With Jack, you mean." Dean didn't sound like he was loving that idea. "Are you sure you can trust him?"**

**I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood. "I don't know. Maybe I don't have a choice. Maybe that's why he's here."**

* * *

**The next morning when Dean and I made it downstairs Sam was already in the kitchen talking to Bobby. There was coffee on and they were talking about someone getting their heart ripped out.**

"**Nice conversation, guys," I quipped.**

**I went to one of the cabinets and got a coffee mug down. I filled the mug and placed it on the table in front of Dean. Then I went to the fridge to find something for breakfast. Bobby had started keeping more food in the house because he never knew when we were gonna be staying or for how long.**

**That day we were gonna have a good country breakfast: gravy and biscuits, bacon, sausage and eggs. And Sam would probably want pancakes. Best thing was, all those things were easy and quick to fix.**

"**So, do we have a case?" Dean asked.**

"**Maybe," Sam said, shrugging. "It sorta depends."**

"**On?"**

**Sam looked my way. "It's in San Francisco."**

**Oh. So it depended on me. Well…**

"**San Francisco is a pretty big place. I don't mind going." Which was mostly true. People needed our help, someone had had their heart ripped out. "So…what's up?"**

"**This guy, Nate Mulligan, was pretty much shredded to pieces," Sam said. "His assistant found him."**

"**Ew," I said softly, getting some pancake mix from one of the cabinets, and the salt and pepper from another.**

**This was another routine we'd gotten into. I'd fix the meals while we stayed at Bobby's. Bobby was fine with that. He'd said he hadn't had a really good cooked meal in a long time.**

"**Yeah, he was in his office. The cops think it was a dog. They found bite marks."**

"**Hm." A dog in an office? "Anyway, do you care if Jack comes along again?"**

**Sam shrugged. "He's _your _dad. But why?"**

**I tried to sound nonchalant. "Thought I might start to train with him. Just in case something comes up and I'm needed."**

"**Well…that sounds like a good idea," Bobby said. "As long as he really know what he's doin'."**

"**Well, I can call and ask."**

* * *

**After breakfast I did call Jack, who said he was still in Indiana, and tried telling him I was ready to train with him on one condition. If I said it was enough then he'd stop or if I changed my mind then he'd be okay with it. **

**I still remembered the last time we'd _trained_ when he'd intentionally turned me into an emotional wreck so he could see how strong I was and how much control I had.**

"**Of course I'll help you," Jack said. "You didn't even have to ask."**

"**Yeah, okay."**

"**What made you change your mind?" he asked, curious.**

"**Well, I've…so far I've only been able to do stuff on instinct. But…I'm scared one day that won't be enough." I sighed. "And I can't even begin to use my abilities if I don't understand how to control them."**

**It was Jack's turn to sigh. "Look…I'm…impatient even on my best days, but I'll try to help you. Just…don't pay attention if I lose my patience and start yellin' at you, okay? I just…lose my temper sometimes."**

"**Fine. And don't pay any attention to me if I end up throwing you across the room."**

* * *

**It took about a day to get to San Francisco and even then we got there at like two in the morning. I'd slept a little in the car, but my phone vibrating against my leg had woken me up. It had been my dad and now, as we were getting situated in our room - all of us were sharing - I was still talking to him.**

**I hadn't told him where we were going to be, so he needed to know. And now I was sorta second guessing myself. Did I really wanna learn all this? I mean, really? What if I became less than human because of it. But then on the other hand, what if it would save Dean? Me losing my humanity - or part of it - was worth it if Dean stayed alive.**

"**So…how long is this gonna take? This training thing?"**

"**A while. Rome wasn't built in a day."**

"**Rome fell. Bad comparison," I joked half-heartedly.**

"**Okay, so…a warrior isn't made in a day." He sighed. "You just need to learn control."**

"**And you can teach me that?"**

"**Yup. So I'll see you in a couple days?"**

"**Yeah, I guess," I said uncertainly.**

"**You shouldn't be afraid," he said reassuringly. "Nothing's gonna go wrong."**

"**I hope not."**

* * *

**That night - morning? - I had trouble sleeping. It wasn't all because of nightmares now, it was because of everything going through my mind.**

**Dean had told me not to say anything to Sam about what my mom had told me, which I hadn't planned on doing anyway, because Sam would freak out even worse than me, probably.**

**And then there was San Francisco. I hadn't ever wanted to come back here. My mom had died in this city. I had been tortured here. So…needless to say, this was not a good place for me. My memories were so horrible and me being back here - even though I was nowhere near my house - brought them back.**

**I had tried going to sleep but I wasn't tired. I had watched a little TV but all that had been on was infomercials. I had even played a few games on my cell phone, but nothing had taken the edge off.**

**I sighed, tossing my phone down on the floor. It was carpeted, so I wasn't worried.**

**Sam was asleep, and Dean's eyes were shut - he was probably _pretending_ to be asleep.**

**I sighed again. I was so bored. I got up from the bed and went to get Sam's laptop. I figured I should at least do something productive since I couldn't sleep.**

**I set up at the table and looked up the local newspaper site. All I found on Nate Mulligan was that he'd been a lawyer and now he was dead. The police weren't really looking into it because it was ruled an animal attack. That would've been plausible aside from the fact that the guy's heart had been removed and he'd been in his office.**

**The guy had been single, no enemies to speak of, so there'd been no reason for anyone to want him dead. Or so the paper said.**

**I looked into other deaths that had people missing hearts and I found that they happened month by month. A ritualistic killing, maybe? Some spells required body parts, so maybe…but that wouldn't account for the animal bite.**

**I wrote down the approximate days of death and then noticed they'd been happening for the last year, at least.**

**Getting bored - I was restless - again, I shut the laptop and decided to try to sleep again.**

* * *

**Seven o'clock rolled around quickly and Sam got up. I didn't know what was wrong with me; I just couldn't sleep.**

"**What's this?" Sam asked, holding up a piece of paper with the dates on it.**

"**Those are the dates of death of other people who died. They were missing their hearts, too. They were all girls."**

"**So Nate is the only guy?"**

"**Look like," I said, shrugging. "I, uh, still don't know how to hack into the police database so…you're gonna have to."**

"**Actually, I was planning on going to the morgue today. Did you wanna come with?"**

"**I probably won't be much good. I got no sleep last night."**

"**Yeah, and you usually have no problem sleeping. What's up?"**

"**Just…bein' back here, I guess. I didn't think it would hit me this hard."**

"**Well, this was your home. And you don't exactly have happy memories of the place."**

"**Are you telling me I maybe should've sit this one out?"**

"**No, just that…you shouldn't expect this to be easy. And we understand that it's not."**

**After Sam finished speaking, he went to the bathroom to change. And when he left I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth but my phone rang.**

**It was my dad, I was sure so I went to answer. It was still on the floor.**

"**Yeah?" I whispered.**

"**Alyson?" Jack's voice across the line. "Why are you whispering? Did I wake you up?"**

**I made my way back to the bathroom. "Dean's still asleep, and no, you didn't wake me."**

"**Okay, well, can you do something for me?"**

"**Depends," I replied hesitantly.**

"**I want you to imagine the power inside you as a light."**

"**Now? You're gonna train me over the phone?"**

"**Well, no. But the faster you get this down the faster you'll be able to train."**

"**Oh. Why? What does the light have to do with anything?"**

"**It's the energy inside you. Sometimes it helps to visualize. You may even be able to feel it."**

"**What I _feel_ is stupid," I murmured into the phone.**

"**Just…humor me, okay?"**

**I sighed impatiently. "Fine." Our lessons were really gonna go well; we were already getting fed up with each other. Or…I was getting fed up with him. And we were only talking on the phone.**

"**Okay. Close your eyes and concentrate on what's inside you. Find your energy and focus. Imagine your power - your strength - is alive. Imagine it flowing through you. Focus on what you want it to do and release."**

"**Well…I'm in a motel room. What am I supposed to do with it?"**

"**Just find something - a brush or maybe toothpaste. Make it float."**

"**Float?" I'd never made anything float before.**

"**Yeah. Just…I thought I'd tell you that you need to work on that before you can actually start training. You'll need to be able to call on your power easily."**

"**How do I do that?"**

"**Uh…it may be different for you, but when I was exorcising demons I had to find a calm place inside."**

"**Somewhere calm?"**

"**What're you doin'?" Dean's voice came from the doorway. "And who are you talking to this early in the morning?"**

"**My dad, and he's giving me things to work on."**

**I caught his gaze in the mirror, and saw as he shook his head.**

"**Come back to bed, Aly. I know you didn't sleep."**

"**I'll be there in a minute," I said. **

**He didn't look like he thought that that had been an acceptable answer.**

"**Why didn't you sleep?" Jack asked.**

"**I was researching." That technically wasn't a lie, right? I _had_ been researching. "And I'll do those focusing things."**

**Suddenly Dean was _right_ behind me - my back was touching his chest - and I felt as warmth traveled up my spine when his body pressed against mine.**

**His arms wrapped around my waist, and he placed his lips on my hair. He traveled down to my free ear and I shivered.**

"**Come back to bed," he whispered, his voice promising a sweet reward if I obeyed. "Please?"**

"**Um…Dad?"**

"**Hm?"**

"**Can I…call you back later?" I wouldn't be able to focus, not with Dean so close and saying the things he was.**

**He nipped at my ear and flicked his tongue over it afterwards. He stroked my stomach and I felt the beginning of that familiar heat start to build. All I could think about now was Dean.**

**His hands slid up on either side of my ribs, slipping against my breasts. I almost moaned out loud.**

**God, Dean was trying to humiliate me. Actually, he was trying to get me back to bed. But the first one would happen, too, if I didn't get off the phone now.**

"**Are you still there?"**

"**Uh…yes. Were you saying something?" He'd probably been talking the whole time, and I hadn't heard a word he'd been saying.**

"**I was saying you should get some rest. These lessons are gonna take a lot out of you."**

"**Oh. That's a good idea, love you, bye," I said quickly, shutting my phone.**

**Dean's thumbs stroked across the peaks of my breasts.**

"**That was so mean!" I said, blushing scarlet - half embarrassment and half desire.**

"**Now will you come back to bed?" he asked huskily.**

**As if I could say anything other than yes.**

**When we reached the bed we gently fell together and his lips found mine. We were in the middle of breathing each other in and I realized I felt like liquid fire was racing through my veins.**

**He broke away to remove my shirt and I shifted my hips toward him restlessly and he took the pajama pants, too.**

**He came back to me and pressed a kiss on my neck before replacing his lips with his tongue.**

**It was amazing what a few simple kisses and touches could do to me - how much he could make me want him, _ache_ for him.**

**His hand found my breast again and I arched up against him and brought my arms up to wrap around his shoulders.**

**His expert fingers undid the front clasp of my bra and then his mouth replaced his hands.**

**It wasn't long before we were both fully undressed and he was in me. It was then that I realized that _this_ had been what I wanted. What I'd been craving. It was why I'd been restless.**

**He'd learned my quirks already. I liked when he withdrew slowly - teasingly - but thrust back in quickly. And he didn't seem to mind the mix-matched thrusting either.**

**Our bodies were so close now that I didn't think there was even an inch between us. And as cliché as it sounded, each thrust struck me to the core. Literally.**

**When we were doing this now, the connecting thing was only natural - I didn't even have to try.**

**Suddenly Dean had flipped us and now I was on top. It had thrown our rhythm off and I had been so _close_. Dean had probably know that and he'd probably done it on purpose.**

"**Dean," I complained softly.**

**He placed his hand on my hips and helped me get another rhythm started. I rested my palms on his chest to balance myself and slid myself up his length before grinding back down.**

**When we got our rhythm back it didn't take long for the heat to come back full force and one of Dean's hands moved to my clit.**

**My hands left is chest, and my back arched and my whole body began to tighten and I felt my pleasure build.**

"**Dean!" I said loudly, and this time I wasn't complaining.**

**I felt like I was burning up from the inside, and watching him watching me was really sorta…hot. And really, I was going into sensation overload. His fingers continued massaging over me and I could feel him filling me each time I brought my body down to meet his.**

**Our mental - spiritual? - connection made our pleasure heighten because we could feel what the other was feeling. Not to mention, watching him fall apart at the seams beneath me was…again, the word hot came to mind. Knowing I was the one causing it, giving him pleasure, was a good feeling.**

**It felts as if flames were enveloping us both and I squeezed my thighs against his as the first wave of pleasure shook through me. The hand that was still at my hip gripped in an almost bruising grip as his orgasm ripped through him…and me.**

**I continued riding him jerkily until our tremors passed and he began to go soft inside me.**

**I fell on top of him and felt him slip out of me. I was…peaceful now. My body was sated and my mind was at rest for the first time in days. I was feeling the calm that only Dean could bring to me - and I had just found the place to focus on to bring myself peace. Because the truth was that the only time I was ever _really_ at peace was when he was with me. I sometimes got restless when I was away from him even just for an hour, and when we were alone, sometimes it felt like I could go insane if I didn't touch him. It scared me, actually, but in a good way.**

"**I love you," I said, moving slowly off of him, and collapsed, exhausted onto the bed, beside him.**

**I snuggled up to him and he repeated the magic words back to me…in my head.**

**I found myself smiling brightly into his chest. I had read his mind even though it had been only three words. His thoughts had come to me in the form of his voice. He hadn't had to think it though, I could feel it coming off him in waves.**

"**Will you be able to sleep now?" Dean asked out loud. "I think I just proved that I'm very much _here_."**

"**You knew I was still worried about that, huh?"**

"**Yeah. I could feel it even when we were in the bathroom."**

**His hand tangled into my hair and then he began massaging my scalp.**

"**Uh…how?" We weren't connected in the bathroom.**

"**When I touch you, sometimes I can feel what you thinkin' even if we're not doin' this," he explained. "Don't ask me why, but it only happens with you. It has ever since that first time."**

**The image of him concentrating on our connected hands the night before came back to mind. I understood now.**

"**You never told me that," I said. I wasn't accusing him of anything, because I had held things back from him, too, recently.**

"**Yeah, well, I didn't want you to think I was an empath or somethin'."**

**I smiled. "Yeah, well, it wouldn't have mattered if you were." I wrapped an arm over him. "You'd still be the same Dean Winchester to me."**

* * *

**A few minutes later I drowsily got up to put my clothes back on. I was gonna try and sleep just to appease Dean and since we were sharing with Sam, it wasn't a good idea for me to just stay undressed.**

**As I got dressed, I told Dean about my research I'd done the night before - or that morning, actually. I told him about the monthly deaths and about how Nate Mulligan's death had unofficially been ruled an animal attack.**

"**Yeah, Sam went to talk to the coroner, and then he's supposed to get police reports on those girls deaths."**

"**And you said it happened during the same week each month?"**

"**Uh-huh." I laid back on the bed. "I was gonna go with a ritual type thing…but that wouldn't explain the animal bite. Right?"**

"**Right. What kind of animal?"**

**I shrugged a little. "Same as Nate's. A dog. I would say wolf, but…San Francisco."**

"**A wolf?" Dean looked like he'd had a light bulb moment.**

"**What?"**

"**We'll need to check the lunar cycle, buy we might be dealing with a werewolf."**

"**A werewolf? Seriously?"**

**I shook my head. _Of course_ werewolves existed. Everything else that was supposed to be fictional existed so why wouldn't werewolves?**

Okay, so...I think I've had enough of the sex scenes for a while. There's only so many times I can think of Dean having sex with someone before I get all hot and bothered. (That was a joke by the way)...but I'm serious about the sex, I think. I'm taking a break from the soft porn scenes (and no that doesn't meant I'm moving onto hardcore, either. LOL)

And OMG OMG OMG...I have 223 reviews. I didn't realize until just before I posted this and it just amazed me. You guys are amazing for sticking with me and reviewing. THANK YOU!!!!


	50. Heart Pt Two

**To my readers: Okay, so I went to the doctor and everything's good, so far. I have an appointment for Feb. 3 and then they're gonna tell me what they're planning on doing. So...I may have one or two more updates. Maybe. Anyway, just thought I'd let you guys know since you're taking time out of your schedules to read when I update. Thanks for that, by the way. :)**

**Heart  
Part Two**

_**I was in a dark cell - it had bars and everything. It was grimy and nasty and just…ew. There was hardly any light - the only source came from a torch on the wall outside my cell.**_

_**There wasn't anyone with me so I assumed I was supposed to feel alone and vulnerable, which I did. So…good job to whatever had me here.**_

_**I could tell this was one of those dreams that wasn't actually a dream. I'd had so many recently that I knew the difference.**_

"_**You don't have to be afraid," a weird gravelly voice said from the shadows. So I guess I wasn't alone after all. "That cell is just for security reasons. **_**Our****_ security, of course."_**

"_**Our?" I asked. I hadn't meant to say anything at all.**_

"_**Yes, **_**our****_," another voice sounded._**

_**The bodies that the two voices belonged to stepped into the dim light. One of the men had red glowing eyes and green skin. Like Wicked Witch of the West green. Or the Incredible Hulk. And the other one…had yellow eyes.**_

_**Crap.**_

"_**What am I doin' here?"**_

"_**Well, funny story, that," Yellow-Eyes said. "I've been trying to get to you since…well, since I saved your precious Dean" He looked at the green guy. "This guy here was hired to get inside your head, which turned out to be harder than I planned. Funny how that vision quest opened your mind up nice and proper." He smirked. "Thank your dad for me."**_

"_**My dad?"**_

"_**Yes. Though he's proving to be just as pesky as you are. It's a shame I can't kill either of you."**_

"_**Can't kill?"**_

"_**That's why I'm here, actually."**_

_**He turned to his companion and quickly drew out a knife. "You've done your job."**_

_**Then Yellow-Eyes killed the green creature, stuck the blade right in his - its? - heart. The thing fell to the floor knee-first and toppled over on its side.**_

"_**Now," he said, "let's talk."**_

"_**About what? How are you in my head?"**_

"_**You know those awful dreams you've been having? Well, they're courtesy of Green-Guy here. Turns out the less sleep you have the more vulnerable you are to having people get inside your head."**_

"_**You're not a person," I said automatically.**_

_**This suddenly struck me as stupid. I was talking to Yellow-Eyes in my dream and I was in this stupid cell for his security. I guess this proved he was scared of me, at least. The bars had to be mystical or something - regular bars wouldn't hold me, I didn't think.**_

"_**I want to offer you a truce."**_

"_**What?" What was he playing at? A truce? After he'd killed my mom and screwed up so many lives? "Really? What's the catch?"**_

"_**No catch. Just my vendetta against you is over."**_

"_**Why?" I questioned harshly. "What changed?"**_

"_**I got new orders. Someone more powerful than me wants you. He's someone I don't wanna piss off, ya know?"**_

"_**Wants me?"**_

"_**He and you would be great together." Yellow-Eyes smiled his version of a friendly smile. "You've worked with him before. Well…for him."**_

_**Okay, maybe I **_**was****_ dreaming for real because this wasn't making any sense at all. I'd never worked with anyone but Sam, Dean, John, Bobby and Jack. And I'd never worked _for_ anyone ever._**

"_**You two were once as thick as thieves until you betrayed him."**_

"**What_ the hell are you talking about?" I was beginning to think he was just yanking my chain._**

"_**Oh, you'll find out. In time. Why don't you ask your dad? And while you're at it, ask him how he's still alive."**_

"_**He's alive because he made a deal with you," I said.**_

"_**Ah, but he broke that deal. He died here in San Francisco, coming to find you. To train you and use you against me. I know because I killed him."**_

_**I shook my head. No. This wasn't true, it couldn't be true. If it was then my dad had lied to me. And seriously, if he had died, how was he alive now?**_

"_**I can see you don't believe me. It's understandable. Check the death records. I mean, that's what you guys do, right?"**_

* * *

**Sam's voice was the first thing I heard. He was talking about the girls that had died. Their bodies had washed up in the bay, and they had been missing their hearts.**

"**They were all hookers working Hunters Point. The cops are tryin' to keep things under wrap, but they're lookin' for a serial killer."**

"**And the lunar cycle?" Dean's voice rang out from beside me and I opened my eyes. He was sitting on the bed - cleaning the guns, maybe.**

"**Yeah. Month after month, all these murders happen in the week leading up to the full moon."**

"**Which is this week, right?"**

"**Hence the lawyer."**

"**Awesome," Dean exclaimed.**

**The bed creaked as Dean stood up and I felt a pain go through my head. I sat up slowly and groaned. I had a demon headache, really.**

"**Dean, could you be a bigger geek about this?" Sam asked.**

**I looked over at him and saw he was drinking a beer. It was a little early for that, wasn't it? What time was it, anyway?**

"**I'm sorry, man, but what about a human by day, a freak animal killing machine by moonlight don't you understand? I mean, werewolves are badass. We haven't seen one since we were kids."**

**Dean opened up a case of silver bullets and sat back down on the bed.**

"**You know what the best part about it is? We already know how to bring these suckers down." He held up a silver bullet. "One of these bad boys right to the heart."**

**I shook my head. "Guys, we may have bigger problems. Yellow-Eyes was in my dream."**

**Sam and Dean both grew still, tense.**

"**What?" Dean asked. "Like a dream-dream or…"**

"**This was real. I was in a cell. He offered me a truce."**

**Dean shook his head. "Again I say what?"**

"**Look, I don't know if he was trying to trick me or what, but…he said someone more powerful than him wants me. So that can't be good, right? Something out there needs me alive for something bad?"**

**Dean reached over and patted my leg. "Well, whoever it is, it doesn't matter because they're not gonna get their hands on you."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Definitely," Sam said.**

"**Okay…but there's something else."**

"**Bad?"**

"**Maybe," I said uncertainly. "Yellow-Eyes said Jack died here in San Francisco. He said to check the death records. He died last year. Probably early or mid June. He supposedly died when he came to find me."**

"**Which brings up the question, how come he's alive now?" Sam said.**

"**Exactly," I said. "But, look, we don't know anything for sure, right? So…let's not bring it up to him until we know something. Okay?"**

"**Agreed," the guys said.**

"**Good. So…how're we doing on the werewolf front?"**

"**We're gonna talk to the girl who found the body," Sam answered. "She lives maybe fifteen minutes from where you used to."**

**_Oh great, this'll be a treat_, I thought sarcastically.**

* * *

**When we got to the girls place - Madison was her name - she invited us in. Sam and Dean were detectives and I was someone new and they were just showing me the ropes.**

**There was guy with a Mission Church shirt on. He had dark eyes and was bearded. His name was Glen - he'd apparently come over to see if Madison was okay.**

**She showed him out and then gestured for us to sit at the kitchen table.**

"**You must be pretty shaken up. You were Nate Mulligan's assistant, right?" Sam said, starting the conversation.**

"**For two years, yeah."**

"**So, you know all about him?" Dean asked.**

"**Probably knew more about him than he did," Madison admitted. "Nate was…he was nice."**

"**There is a serious 'but' on the end of that sentence," I said.**

"**Yeah, um, it was nothing, really. He had a few scotches in him, and he started hitting on anything in a five-mile radius. You know the type."**

**Sam glanced at Dean. "Yeah, I do, actually."**

**That had been uncalled for. Dean was behaving himself, and he hadn't flirted with anyone other than me in a long time.**

"**Did Nate have any enemies?" Dean asked seriously.**

"**What d'you mean? It looked like an animal attack."**

"**We're just covering all the bases. Was there anyone that might've had a beef with him? A former client, an ex?"**

"**Uh, maybe. My ex-boyfriend, Kurt Mueller. After we broke up, he went kinda nuts. He's…well, he's kind of been stalking me. He got it in his head that something was going on between me and Nate. He showed up at my office. Kurt got into it with Nate, threw a punch before security grabbed him. I was lucky to keep my job."**

"**When was the last time you saw Kurt?" Dean asked.**

"**A few nights ago. Actually, the night Nate died. We were all grabbing drinks at this bar, and Kurt showed up. He was…watching me. Then he was gone. To tell you the truth…he scares me."**

**Sam and Dean glanced at each other. I could tell they were thinking this Kurt guy was the werewolf.**

"**Was, uh, Nate at the bar with you the night Kurt showed up?" I asked.**

"**Actually, yeah, Kurt left right after Nate."**

* * *

**As we left Madison's apartment I noticed how warm it was outside. It was March now and we were in San Francisco. It had to be sixty at least. I hadn't realized until then how much I'd missed the warmth.**

"**So, what d'you think?" Dean asked.**

"**Stalker ex-boyfriend? He hates the boss. And he was there that night."**

"**You think he's our dog-faced boy?"**

"**Well, it's a theory," Sam said.**

"**We've had worse. What d'you say we pay Kurt a visit?"**

**We'd gotten the address from Madison.**

"**It's worth a shot," I said, getting into the backseat. We could actually have the windows down it was so nice outside. And we didn't need jackets.**

"**And after we check his place out we'll do a little research on Jack," Dean said.**

* * *

**Kurt lived in one of those high-rise apartment buildings, but his was close to the ground floor. We'd had to pick the lock, but now, here we were, snooping around.**

**The walls were a purple-blue color and he had shelves aligning the walls. On the shelves were pictures - a man with a baby, a man with a little boy fishing. But none of Madison, which was strange considering he was supposed to have been stalking her. But we found nothing that could lead to werewolf, not even a stray dog hair.**

"**You getting anything?" Dean asked me.**

**I shook my head. "Mm-mm. Werewolves are shapeshifters, right? I probably won't be able to feel anything."**

**Suddenly a door opened and closed - or so we heard - and there was an awful scratching noise, followed by a crash.**

**Before I had even looked toward the sound, Dean was taking off in that direction, so Sam and I followed him.**

**The sound had come from the balcony. There was a sliding glass door that led outside. On the side of the building there were claw marks leading down to the ground. That's what had made the scratching noise, I assumed.**

"**Werewolf?" I asked.**

"**Werewolf," the guys answered.**

**It was nighttime but it wasn't that late. I wondered if werewolves stayed changed all night.**

"**If it was here the whole time, why didn't it attack us?" I asked.**

"**Because it knew we'd kick its ass," Dean suggested, unhelpfully.**

"**Right. I'm sure that's it," Sam said sarcastically.**

**A gunshot sounded in the air and we all looked at one another before running back through the apartment and out the door. When we made it outside we went to the alley on the side of the building. We didn't find a werewolf but we did find a corpse of a police officer. The poor guy's heart had been ripped out, so the werewolf _had_ been here.**

"**Gross," I said softly.**

"**Yeah," Sam agreed. "I'm gonna call 911."**

"**I'd say Kurt's lookin' more and more like our Kujo ."**

"**Dean, if he's out here, we better check on Madison," Sam said, voicing his concern.**

"**Yeah, especially if he's got the wolf-y hots for her," I said. "Speakin' of…can he change form whenever he wants to? I mean, I know the murders only happen the week of the full moon, but…is it a conscious thing?"**

"**Do you think it's coincidence that only hookers died until now?" Dean asked.**

"**I dunno," I answered, shrugging. "But if Kurt's the werewolf…why would he bother with hookers when he was caught up on Madison?"**

"**Maybe he was just hungry. It doesn't really matter why. We just gotta stop him from doing it again."**

* * *

**It was still dark when we got to Madison's so we decided we'd wait until the sun came up - she was probably sleeping so we didn't want to wake her up for nothing. And besides…everything was quiet.**

**As soon as the first light of dawn broke out in the sky, though, we went to her door and knocked. A door on the other side of the hallway opened, and the man from the day before - the Mission Church guy - stuck his head out.**

"**What's goin' on?" he asked. Nosy.**

"**Police business, Glen," Dean said politely.**

**Madison answered then, wearing a blue robe. She looked confused at our being here. And then she looked worried.**

"**What is it?"**

"**Maybe we should talk privately," Sam said, subtly hinting that Glen shouldn't hear this.**

"**Um…yeah, okay." She moved out of the doorway to let us in. "Would you like some coffee?"**

"**Well, it is the best part of wakin' up," Dean said, even though we hadn't slept last night. But Madison had no way to know that, so it was all good.**

**She closed the door and went to the kitchen so we followed her.**

"**Has Kurt been here?" Sam asked.**

**Madison hesitated before answering. "He was outside last night. Just…looking at me. Has he done something?" He tone voiced that it wouldn't have surprised her if he had.**

"**It's probably nothing, but…we just don't wanna take any chances," Dean said. "In fact, Sammy should probably stay here with you, just in case he stops by. Where does he work, if he even has a job?"**

"**He owns a body shop."**

"**You mind grabbing that address for us?"**

**She nodded and left the room.**

**The aroma of the coffee that was brewing filled the air and I felt my mouth water. I hadn't had coffee in a while.**

"**So…" Sam started, "guess since you volunteered me to stay here…"**

"**We're gonna check Kurt out," Dean said. "You get to hang out here with the hot chick."**

"**Dean, _don't_ turn this into another Sarah thing, okay?"**

"**What? I wasn't gonna. I'm…just giving you an opportunity."**

"**Yeah, you're very generous," Sam quipped.**

"**I'm a giver."**

**Madison came back with the address, we drank our coffee - I had French vanilla cream in mine - and then Dean and I left.**

"**Hey, uh, can we go by the motel first? I wanna use Sam's computer to go through death records."**

"**Right, your dad."**

"**Yeah." In the front seat of the Impala I felt safe - not because of the car, of course, but because of who was with me. "Um…Dean?"**

"**Yeah?"**

**I grabbed his hand in mine and let him feel the uncertainty I was feeling.**

"**What happens if we find out Yellow-Eyes was telling the truth? What if Jack died? What do we do then?"**

**Dean sighed. "I don't know. I can't…tell you what to do here. All I can say is…I never trusted him. The only reason I put up with him is out of respect for you." He squeezed my hand lightly before continuing. "My advice is play it by ear. If somethin' doesn't feel right to you, then it probably isn't."**

* * *

**The stupid reception for wireless Internet was backed up - it took a long time for the homepage to pop up. I didn't know why; Sam's laptop was usually really quick. Maybe it just seemed like it was taking forever because I was anxious to get this over with. No matter the results.**

**We'd gone to the body shop and found out Kurt wasn't at work and hadn't been all week - too busy stalking Madison and then killing people, probably. But Dean had found out what Kurt usually went to this strip club, so that's where we were right now.**

**I was in the car, waiting for Dean to come back out. I had refused to go in - watching naked girls dance just wasn't my thing. Dean had been gone for about five minutes and I'd been _trying_ to get this public records webpage to pop up since Dean had gone into the…place I didn't want him going into. But I also realized we had to make sure Kurt was actually here.**

**The page finally popped up and I typed in my Dad's name. There was a marriage record, a birth record, _and_ a death record in his name. The birth date matched his and the death date was in June of last year.**

**My hands froze on the touch pad and my breath felt like it was stuck. It just wouldn't come.**

**God, Yellow-Eyes had been telling the truth and Jack had been lying to me the whole time. And it _hurt_. I'd slowly begun to trust him and I'd wanted to get to know him better. But it obviously didn't mean anything to him since he hadn't been honest with me.**

**And what was I supposed to do now? Confront him? One thing was for sure: I couldn't just let this go. But how was I supposed to believe anything he said to me again?**

**And my brain was going in circles now, making my vision blur and I took a deep breath. For a minute there I'd forgotten how to breathe at all. And the bad thing was I felt so stupid. He'd come into my life and made me believe him. He'd set his moves up just right. He'd planned three steps ahead. Check and checkmate.**

**I'd fallen for every single lie he'd told me, and I'd let him into my heart. I hadn't realized just how far I'd let him in until now. Now that I could feel the small piece of my heart that belonged to him breaking.**

**I realized I loved him. Maybe not like a daughter should love her dad, but I did love him a little. He'd made me love him, and that just added salt to the wound.**

* * *

**After I got over the initial shock of finding out Yellow-Eyes had been telling the truth I began to think about what I should do.**

**I needed paper proof for one - I needed to print the page so I could show Jack when I saw him and I was gonna _demand_ an explanation. People don't come back to life on their own.**

**But what if he was working for a demon? Demons could bring people back from the dead if a deal was made, right?**

**Dean had been in the club for a while - I didn't know how long because sometimes when he was away an hour felt like a whole day to me - and I was growing impatient. I decided to try and go in even though I despised places like this.**

**And it wasn't that I thought the women were sleazy - although some of them probably were - it was the men that got on my nerves. Some of the women had nothing else they could do and this was the only way they could pay their bills. And granted, most of the money came from the men, but the way I saw it, the men took advantage of the situation. If they could offer money to strippers, why couldn't they just give it to someone who needed it in the first place?**

**At the door, a big bouncer type dude in all black blocked my way.**

"**ID?"**

**I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Hold on."**

**I had to situate my arms so I could hold the laptop and get my ID, but then decided to not get it at all. I didn't wanna see the show, anyway.**

"**Hey, do you like bribes?"**

**The guy's face brightened. "I _love_ bribes."**

"**Well, good. Can you get me into the boss's office? I need to use the printer."**

"**Depends," he said. "What's in it for me?"**

"**Fifty bucks?"**

"**Make it a hundred and I'll make sure the boss-man leaves you alone."**

"**Deal," I said quickly.**

**The bouncer guy led me in and I immediately felt uncomfortable. It was dark aside from a few strobe lights that were scattered around the room that were flickering in time with the music that was filling the room. It made the girls seem like they were dancing in slow motion. It was dizzying.**

**We made it to this staircase that was even darker than the club itself. We went up and started moving across a hallway.**

"**The room down the hall is the boss-man's. I can give you maybe fifteen minutes."**

"**Okay." I'd only need about five.**

"**A'right. Come with me."**

**He didn't even knock on the door - we just strolled right in.**

"**Reggie!" A black man in a business suit stood up from his chair behind his desk. "Who is this fine young lady?"**

**He was looking at me like I was his next big cash prize. It disgusted me.**

"**She was wondering if you had any spots open?"**

**I was what now? I hoped this was just a ploy to get him to leave.**

**The black guy circled around me like a wolf circling its prey. I had to fight the urge to smack him with the laptop I was holding.**

"**What're you supposed to be? Innocent schoolgirl…shy but naughty librarian?" He stepped closer. "Maybe you should give me a private performance. Show me how much you want this job."**

**He flicked a strand of my hair back behind my back. That was a sign of disrespect, right? And it was guys like this that gave men a bad name.**

"**I'll give you a show if you prove I can have a spot on stage tonight," I said softly. "And let's go with the school girl routine."**

"**I'll go put you down on the set list. Oh, and -" he went back to his desk and opened a drawer. "- you can fill these out now."**

**He handed me this application-type paper along with the usual tax papers.**

**When he left I groaned in disgust. "That was annoying."**

"**Him treating you like you were eye candy?"**

"**Yeah…Reggie."**

**I quickly set up the laptop with the boss's printer and went back to the page I needed. The reception was better in here for some reason.**

"**I'm gonna keep watch. Like I said…fifteen minutes."**

"**Thanks."**

**Reggie left the room, shutting the door behind him. I could just imagine him standing there, blocking the doorway with his legs shoulder-width apart and his arms crossed across his chest.**

**As the page finished printing out the lights started flickering and I felt that badly familiar chill run through me. Something was close by.**

**My back straightened and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood straight up.**

"**Hello, Alyson."**

**The computers and printer shut off, along with the lights and I was in darkness. And a demon was here now…and it was _the_ demon. I knew because he had his own…feeling. It was stronger, somehow. Maybe because _he_ was stronger than the other demons I'd come across.**

**It was dark so I couldn't actually see him, but I saw his outline clearly. Why was he here, anyway?**

"**I said hello. Shouldn't you say hello back? It's the nice thing to do, isn't it?"**

"**Right. Being nice to a demon is next on my to do list," I quipped. "What do you want."**

"**Well, to make good on my truce, of course. This is a show of good faith. I'm not gonna hurt you."**

"**Right, and why is that again?" I didn't wait to hear an answer. "Oh, right…because someone higher up on the food chain is givin' you orders."**

"**Pretty much. He thinks you would be an…asset - a great one. Join me."**

**He'd said that so…calmly, and I laughed.**

"**Really? Just like that? First you tried to kill me and now you say you _can't_ kill me, and you want me on your team.?"**

"**That sums it up, yeah."**

**I shook my head. "I'd rather die. You can leave now."**

**I could feel his smirk from all the way across the room. It was very discomforting.**

"**It's not so easy," he said. "Dean is here, too, isn't he?" His tone made it clear that he knew very well where Dean was, and he was messing with me. "He'd make a very good bargaining chip, wouldn't he? Why don't I go get him and see?"**

**I moved toward him and something just clicked in me.**

"**You lay a hand on him and I will _end_ you."**

**The wind started picking up - _in the room_ - and things started blowing off the desk, and I heard Yellow-Eyes laugh.**

"**Well, look at you, getting all upset 'cause I threatened your honey. I hit a nerve, huh?"**

**The door to the office began to open, but then I slammed it shut with my mind - heart?**

"**Hey," Reggie said. "What's goin' on? I hear voices."**

**I didn't take my eyes off the demon, and I saw the outline of him looking at the door.**

"**Impressive," he mused.**

**I took a deep breath, imagined my power gathering in me until I felt it radiating throughout myself. Jack hadn't been lying about one thing…it was a very physical thing.**

**To make it a more concentrated effort I imagined what I wanted - the demon dead - and tried to make it happen.**

**I brought my hand up to control where my power would be directed. I imagined pulling the demon from the man's body, imagined my hand sorta reaching through the man and grabbing the demon inside.**

**I heard a grunt and then a laugh. Apparently I wasn't strong enough yet, so I improvised. I flicked my hand and he went flying backwards. So…ha!**

**I couldn't hold him there, however, so I did the only smart thing. I picked up the laptop and the printout, and I ran. I grabbed Reggie and dragged him down the stairs with me. I had to get to Dean now, just in case Yellow-Eyes decided to make good on his threat.**

"**What happened? Why couldn't I open the door?"**

"**Trust me, you don't wanna know."**

**When we got to the ground floor, I realized the lights were off here, too. Did that mean the demon was still here?**

**People were leaving because the girls couldn't dance without music.**

**I saw the boss near the stage - he was trying to keep people calm. The way some of the people were acting, you'd think it was the end of the world or something.**

**I surveyed the room quickly and then mentally slapped myself. Duh! Why was I looking for him? I could just reach out and if he was nearby I'd be able to find him that way.**

**Continuing to move through the room, I calmly reached out to the familiar feeling of Dean. He was…subtly following someone out the club. I handed the bouncer guy the money I owed him, told him to help get everyone out, and then went towards the exit, but the boss, who apparently had seen me from the stage, caught me at the door.**

"**And where do you think you're going?" he asked, grabbing my elbow.**

"**Away," I said. "I _really_ don't wanna work for you."**

"**Why not? We got off to a good start, didn't we?"**

"**I was acting, you moron. Now, get your hand off of me."**

**Later I was sure I'd regret my rudeness but now I just needed to get to Dean. I yanked my arm back from him and left, catching up with Dean at the car. He looked worried that I wasn't there.**

"**Demon was here," I said, announcing my presence.**

**Dean looked relieved until what I'd said registered. "Demon?"**

"**Yellow-Eyes."**

"**Are you okay?" His eyes swept over me clinically.**

"**I'm fine. He didn't hurt me." I glanced around. "What're we doing?"**

"**Following Kurt." He nodded to a guy getting into his car. "You sure you're okay?"**

"**Yes, I'm fine." We got in the Impala. "So…do you want the bad news first, or the weird news?"**

"**Weird?" Dean suggested uncertainly. "I guess."**

"'**Kay. Yellow-Eyes didn't even _try_ to hurt me. He said he wanted to make a truce, and him showing up was a sign of good faith." I swallowed convulsively. "He wanted me to join him."**

"**What?"**

**I smiled slightly. "Yeah, that was pretty much _my_ reaction." I sighed. "I suspected he wanted as much. He told me in my dream that he couldn't kill me…like if he did, he'd piss someone off big time. Someone bigger and badder than himself. Oh, and he hired someone to get inside my head, cause my dreams." I looked at him, apology in my eyes. "I'd have told you sooner, but Sam was in the room at the time and I haven't told him about the other dreams at all. I didn't want him asking questions."**

"**Okay, so…what's the bad news then?"**

"**This." I showed him the death report. "Jack _did_ die last year."**

**Dean's expression hardened, but then it cleared just as fast. I didn't understand why.**

"**Okay, well…that doesn't really mean anything. I was supposed to be dead, too. I had a funeral and everything."**

**I could tell he'd only said that for my benefit, to show that he could give Jack the benefit of the doubt for me. It wasn't working though, because my mind had come up with something worse.**

"**What if he wants me for somethin' bad?" My voice was soft and I could barely hear myself over the roar of the engine. "Or…what if Jack is working for a demon - maybe the one Yellow-Eyes is so afraid of."**

"**Hey…aren't you the one who's always tellin' Sam that no one can make you do anything you don't wanna do? Take your own advice."**

**I bit my lip and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, okay."**

* * *

**In the alley outside Kurt's apartment, Dean and I kept watch. I was very glad we were in San Francisco now, because it was warm even if it _was_ nighttime.**

**Jack had called twice, but I'd ignored him. I didn't feel like confronting him just yet. What I wanted to say should be said face-to-face, not over the phone. But I knew if I talked to him then I'd get upset. Jack was the only one who knew how to push my buttons that way. And it just came naturally to him; he didn't even have to try.**

"**I wanna know why he didn't tell me. I mean, that's definitely something you should tell someone, right? Unless of course, he's evil and he doesn't want me to know. But if he's evil then wouldn't he have tried to kill me by now? But then again he's the one who brought up the training thing - until the dreams, of course - and if he is evil then he's probably gonna wanna use me for somethin' horrible, in which case should I not train at all?"**

**Dean looked like he'd gotten lost somewhere in translation. I'd confused him somewhere in the middle of my ranting.**

**He shook his head. "You're gonna give me whiplash, you keep goin' back and forth like that."**

**My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "I'm sorry, I just…I don't know what to do. Part of me doesn't want to deal with it at all, to just tell him to go fly a kite somewhere. But then another part of me just wants to know _why_. Ya know? But then all of me is saying that since he lied about this…what else has he lied about?"**

**It was dark, but I could still see as Dean's eyes went soft - it was the tenderness he used with me only.**

**A pleasurable shudder when through me and I had to remind myself we were in a back alley.**

"**Well, we know he didn't lie about that prophecy thing. We know he didn't lie about knowing Pastor Jim…" he trailed off. "I'm tryin' to be helpful here, but I'm running out of things we actually _do_ know about him."**

"**Exactly. Nothing he told us can be checked. So he could've been lying the whole time."**

"**And you love him," Dean said softly.**

**It was so nice to be understood like that. I was going through all these bad things that bugged me about Jack, and Dean understood the fact that the things only bugged me because I loved him…without me even having to say it.**

"**I didn't _want_ to," I said. "It just sorta happened. And now I feel like an idiot."**

"**You're not an idiot," Dean said firmly. "Trust me. I've been around, I know what idiots look like, and you're not one."**

"**No, I totally _am_ an idiot. He hadn't been around much since I was ten and then he was supposed to have died when I was fourteen. Then he just shows up outta the blue and I believe everything he says. Wouldn't you say that's the definition of an idiot?"**

"**No." Dean was being sincere. "I'd say that's the definition of someone with a good heart. I mean…okay…he's your dad, and the only family you have left. It wasn't stupid for you to want him to be a part of your life. It wasn't stupid for you to _want_ to believe him. That's actually probably pretty normal."**

"**Yeah?"**

**Dean had been going to say something else, but a crash sounded through the night.**

"**Get your gun," Dean said, looking up.**

**The sliding glass door of Kurt's apartment had shattered. Someone or something had broken it. Whether they'd broken in or broken out was anyone's guess.**

**We moved toward the building, and Dean said, "remember, aim for the heart."**

* * *

**When we got to the door, Dean kicked it in. I heard something, a weird slurping sound. It was like when you suck noodles into your mouth.**

"**Stay behind me," Dean whispered.**

"**Really not an issue," I said, holding my gun at the ready.**

**We walked down a hallway, toward the noise. When we reached the main room the first thing I noticed was Kurt. He was on the floor, dead, ripped open. Something was over him. The werewolf - I was sure that's what this was - was eating something. The heart, maybe?**

**Something must've gotten the thing's attention because it looked at us, growling.**

**For one split second, I froze. The werewolf was Madison. Madison, who still looked human -where was the fur and the black nose and the claws?**

**The only things that were different were her eyes, which were now electric blue, her teeth, which were fangs now, and her fingernails, which were longer.**

**Oh, God. _Sam_. He'd been with her the whole time. What if something had happened to him?**

**Madison growled and ran at Dean, pushing him past me and into the wall. And Dean wasn't fighting back - he was unconscious.**


	51. Heart Pt Three

**Heart  
Part Three**

**Oh, God. Dean was unconscious. Which meant I'd have to kill Madison myself. But the first thing I needed to do was get her away from Dean, because what if, in my frenzied state, I shot Dean? Or worse, what if Madison bit him?**

"**Hey," I shouted, drawing her attention.**

**I trained my gun on her, but she launched herself at me and I fell to my back to kick her over me. She growled loudly. I stood back up, but it turned out werewolves were faster than humans, so by the time I got up, Madison was already knocking me over again.**

**I felt her nails dig into my chest and felt the blood seep into my shirt. But, oh well, I'd heal. I tried to get out from under her and I didn't know what happened the next second, but the second after that I was screaming. I had fire running through my veins originating at my wrist.**

**Madison had grabbed my arm and had bitten me.**

**I started convulsing and my muscles seized - kinda like when someone has tetanus or lockjaw. Oh, God, was _I_ gonna be a werewolf now? I didn't wanna turn into something Sam and Dean hunted.**

**It felt as if lava venom was going through me originating from where her teeth sank into me. I used my other hand - my left one - and used all my strength to knock her in the temple and she drew back, away from me, shrieking.**

**She turned and before I knew it she went away the same way she'd come in: through the sliding glass door.**

**I grabbed onto my wrist and then noticed on the ring finger of my left hand the silver sapphire ring Dean had given me for Valentine's Day. _Silver_. The silver must've been pure and the sapphire must've cut into Madison's skin.**

**Suddenly, an even bigger pain shot through my arm. My head started spinning and it felt like my blood was flowing backwards. I cried out as the pain and the burning centered at the bite mark.**

**The only thing I could compare the pain to was that time when we'd been trying to get rid of the succubus. The same burning sensation was going through me now.**

**Dean groaned and shifted slightly, so I called out to him. My voice roused him even more.**

"**Aly?" he said, grabbing the back of his head.**

"**Dean." I swallowed back bile as my stomach churned. "A-are you okay?"**

**I sat up, still holding my wrist, and moved closer to Dean. I stopped halfway there, though, and grabbed my own head. It felt all big and float-y and my skin was overheated and I really felt like I had to vomit and my muscles were still tightened - painfully so.**

"**I'm good. Head hurts like hell, though."**

"**Dean…I'm - I don't feel so good. It hurts to move."**

**That got Dean's attention and he moved quicker.**

"**Did you break something? Again?" he asked.**

"**No," I said. "I…she bit me."**

**It looked like all the color left Dean's face. "What?"**

"**I'm sorry," I said shakily. "She pushed me and it happened so fast I couldn't react quick enough."**

**My breath came in small gasps - partly from pain and partly from freaking out.**

"**But…it's okay, right?" Dean asked desperately. "I mean…you'll heal, right?"**

**I bit my lip. "I haven't healed yet," I said. That statement was partly true. The wounds from my chest had healed almost instantly. It was just the bite marks that were being stubborn. "It hurts."**

**Dean seemed helpless. He didn't know what to do here.**

"**Dean…I don't wanna be a monster."**

"**Hey, you're not gonna be a monster. Okay? This is…we don't even know what that bite'll do to you. I mean, maybe your body's fighting it off right now."**

**Dean was grasping at straws here. He took my wrist and looked at the wound, rubbing his thumb over the mark.**

"**Dean…you have to call Sam. Make sure he's okay."**

"**We gotta get you outta here first. Someone could've heard the noise we made."**

**He stooped to pick me up, which was the best thing because my muscles were still convulsing slightly.**

"**We're gonna get you cleaned up, okay?"**

"**Mm." I grabbed my head again. "Are we spinning? It feel like we're spinning."**

"**No. We're not even moving, Aly," Dean said shakily. "Don't you dare pass out on me."**

"**My head is dizzy," I said. And, wow, I hoped I didn't throw up on him.**

**The motion of him moving, however, dulled my senses somewhat. Or maybe I _was_ gonna pass out. Me being unconscious would've been better than me having to see the different emotions playing over Dean's face.**

**There was fear, probably for both me and Sam. There was uncertainty at what exactly was happening to me. And then there was wonder at what we would do if I did change. And of course there was self-loathing in there, too. That was just his way. He was probably thinking that since he'd been knocked unconscious that it was his fault that I'd been bitten.**

"**I'm gonna get you back to the motel," he said. "And then I'm goin' for Sam."**

"**What if I change?" I didn't want to mention it, but it needed to be said.**

"**You won't change."**

"**But, Dean -"**

"**No," he cut me off firmly. "Just…no."**

**Dean couldn't deal with this right now, it seemed, so I closed my mouth. I didn't want to think too much about it either.**

* * *

**The first thing we did when we got back to the car was get the first-aid kit out of the trunk. It wasn't only to clean me up, I knew. It was to give Dean something to do.**

**Using the anti-bacteria cream didn't help; it just made it burn worse.**

"**I think you'd get more results with a rabies shot," I said.**

"**That's so not funny," Dean said, glaring sadly at me. "This is serious, Alyson."**

"**God, you think I don't know that, Dean?" I yanked my arm away from him. "I am freaking out here, okay? I don't wanna be a werewolf," I said. "I just wanna be me." And I would never again resent the fact that I was different if I just wouldn't become a werewolf. "I don't wanna be bad."**

**I didn't wanna become something Dean would hate, something he would hunt. I didn't wanna lose him.**

"**You're not gonna be bad," he said. "We'll find a way to deal with this, okay? We'll figure somethin' out."**

"**What? Locking me in a cage every month until I change back? I don't think werewolves can be housebroken."**

**Dean went back to bandaging my wrist. It made me itch.**

**As we were racing back to the motel Dean said he was sorry. Then I told him truthfully that it wasn't his fault. _I'd_ messed up, not him.**

"**It's just…I forget sometimes that you haven't been doin' this as long as I have. You've been great with the hunting and the killin' evil. You're good at what you do. I should've been able to stop this from happening."**

**I sighed. I hated when Dean blamed himself for things that were out of his control.**

**I was still hurting, but my muscles had loosened. Now I just felt shaky and weak.**

**I took my phone out and dialed Sam's number. I _really_ wanted to know if he was okay.**

"**Hey. You okay?" Sam said from the other side. It sounded like he'd been worried, too.**

"**Um…Dean's okay. He was knocked out. Are _you_ okay?"**

"**Yeah, why? I've been here the whole time."**

"**You didn't hear anything strange?"**

"**No."**

"**Oh."**

"**What's wrong with you?" Sam asked suddenly. "I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you."**

"**Sam…I have bad news and then worse news."**

"**Well, what is it?" Sam asked hesitantly.**

"**Madison's the werewolf," I said.**

"**What?" Sam sounded like he thought we'd made a mistake. "That's impossible. She's here in bed, asleep."**

"**Well, she must've left sometime during the night, because I know she was out. Sam, she bit me."**

**There was a brief silence and then, "What? But that means…"**

"**I know what it means, Sam," I said.**

**Sam sighed. "Well…don't worry about it. We'll figure something out. We'll help you."**

**I knew he was just saying it to be saying it. It was the right thing to say; he didn't actually mean it. He was just wanting to say something to make me feel better.**

"**Yeah, okay." Tears stung my eyes because I didn't think everything was gonna be okay. I didn't think _I_ was gonna be okay. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we're, ya know…alive. And to see if you were okay."**

"**Well, I'm good…I guess."**

"**Okay, well, Dean'll see you in a bit. I'm gonna go back to the motel."**

"**Jack,' Sam said suddenly, "is there."**

"**What?" Oh, I so didn't want to deal with him right now.**

"**Yeah, he called and asked where we were."**

"**Oh. Great."**

"**Sorry. He said he tried calling you, but you didn't answer."**

**Jack had called while Dean and I had been watching Kurt's place. Maybe I should've answered.**

"**Okay, well, thanks for tellin' me," I said before hanging up.**

* * *

**At the motel, sure enough, Jack was there. When he saw the condition I was in he seemed concerned.**

"**What happened to you?" he asked, grabbing for my wrist, which was still bleeding lightly. I could tell because it was soaking through the white gauze bandage on it.**

"**_Don't_ touch her," Dean said, getting between me and Jack. "You don't get to do that."**

**At first, Jack just looked taken aback. Dean had never really been outwardly aggressive to him before. But then after he got over the initial shock, Jack became angry.**

"**Well, I don't know who you think you are, but I am her_ father_. I think I deserve to know what happened."**

"**No, you don't. You've been lying to us from the moment we saw you."**

"**What're you talking about?" Jack asked, incredulous.**

"**You were dead," I said softly. We were in the parking lot still, and I was just trying to keep the peace. "You died last year."**

**Jack's jaw tightened. "How do you know that? Who told you?"**

"**It doesn't matter," Dean said vehemently. "The only thing that matters is that _you_ didn't."**

"**I didn't…I just…" Jack's anger vanished, but he still seemed frustrated. "I would never do anything to hurt her."**

"**You already _have_," Dean said as we moved around him. "And we don't have time for you now."**

"**Wait," Jack said desperately. "She won't turn."**

**Dean and I stilled beside each other. Had Jack said what I thought he said? Did he know I'd been bitten? How did he know?**

"**What d'you mean?" Dean asked, feigning cluelessness.**

"**You know what I mean. She was bitten by a werewolf."**

**I grabbed Dean's hand and began tugging him to the room. We couldn't discuss werewolves out in the open like this. We couldn't talk about Jack coming back to life, either. Jack followed us and then, against my better judgment, I let him in.**

"**How did you know I was bitten?" I asked. "I mean…what, are you psychic now?**

"**No, I'm…this is one of those things I'm not supposed to tell you."**

"**Tell me," I said. "If you want me to even _begin_ to trust you again, tell me. Now."**

"**I…hear things and they come true."**

**Dean and I looked at each other. What did he mean, he _heard_ things?**

"**How're you alive?" Dean asked. He must've thought that was more important than the hearing things…thing.**

"**Someone or something brought me back. He said as long as I do what I'm told, I can live."**

"**Who?" Dean asked. "Or what?"**

**Jack hesitated. "He didn't tell me. I never _saw_ him…I just heard his voice. He just said he had the power to keep me alive." Jack's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Look, I told you there are some things I'm not allowed to tell you. My dying was one of them. You were never supposed to find out."**

"**Why aren't you allowed to tell us certain things?"**

"**He sees it as interfering with fate…destiny. If I tell you those things…I'll die. I wish I didn't know the things I know, but I wouldn't work with him until he told him why I should."**

"**So you're working for someone evil," Dean said.**

"**No, he just…he saved my life."**

"**And he can take it," I said, deciding to go with the evil concept. Someone _good_ wouldn't hold someone's life over their head like that.**

"**So, basically, you're his bitch. Whoever _he_ is," Dean retorted. "What did he want? Your undying allegiance?"**

"**Well, yeah, basically. And he hasn't hurt anyone, I don't think. He doesn't mean anyone harm. So he's not evil. He just needed my help setting things in motion."**

"**What things, exac -" I broke off abruptly as my stomach churned again, and I placed a hand over my mouth.**

"**Don't keep it in. You'll feel better once you empty your stomach. The werewolf's venom will hit you like the stomach flu. You'll get a fever and you won't be able to keep anything down, but you'll get it out of your system."**

"**You said she won't turn, though," Dean said, hope in his voice.**

"**No, she'll just be sick for a few days, then she'll be fine."**

"**And we should believe you, of course," I remarked scathingly.**

"**I wouldn't lie about this. I haven't lied about anything that has already happened. I'm just not supposed to tell you anything about stuff you don't know. Like my dying.**

"**Oh, that's helpful."**

**I really felt like I was gonna be sick now and I rushed to the bathroom. I had nothing in my stomach - I hadn't eaten since the morning so bile was all that came up.**

**I heard Dean tell Jack not to move and then he was in the bathroom with me, kneeling beside me.**

"**You're okay," he said, pulling my hair back away from my face as I heaved. "You're gonna be okay."**

**When I was through I sat there out of breath.**

"**We have to get to Sam," I said. "We have to figure out what to do with Madison."**

"**Um…we're going to _kill_ her," Dean said. "That's generally what we do with werewolves. Especially one's who go around biting people."**

"**_I_ could've been a werewolf, Dean," I reminded him. "Were you gonna kill me, too?"**

"**You wouldn't have killed anyone. You…we would've kept you locked up or something."**

"**Well…whatever. Just let me brush my teeth and then we can go. I don't wanna stay here with Jack."**

* * *

**I didn't wanna stay with Jack, but we couldn't leave him at the motel either. We didn't trust him to be there when we got back.**

**Dean said Sam could handle himself so we stopped at this 24-hour gas station and bought some medicine for fever and some Pepto Bismal for the queasiness.**

**I hadn't questioned Jack further because every time I opened my mouth I felt like I was gonna started heaving again. But I wanted answers, so as soon as the medicine was in me I started talking.**

"**So…you hear things…this thing tells you the future and then…that's it? What did he tell you? You said he wanted you to set things in motion. What things?"**

"**Yeah, Jack," Dean said. "What things?"**

**Jack sighed. He sounded like he wanted Dean to stay out of it.**

"**Look, it was kind of a mutual thing, okay? I wanted to see you again," Jack said, looking at me. "And he needed someone to get close to you. Someone that you would let train you."**

"**Train me for what?"**

"**Well, to be who you're meant to be, of course."**

"**If this guy wanted Aly to train so badly, why didn't he come to her himself?"**

**Jack laughed bitterly. "If some strange guy came around to train her, would you have let him within fifty feet of her?"**

**As we pulled up to Madison's apartment building Dean said, "no. I have a hard enough time letting _you_ near her."**

"**Yeah, well, lucky for me, it's not your decision," Jack snarked.**

**We were out of the car now and Dean and Jack were facing each other. I was hoping they wouldn't fight.**

"**Lucky for you, your daughter's a good person. Anyone else would've told you to go straight to hell."**

"**Guys, stop," I said. "We have a werewolf to deal with."**

**Dean looked at me and then back at Jack. He followed me.**

"**Oh, that's right. You two are inseparable. You're attached at the hip. I was sent to find a place in her life, but ya know, there wasn't a place left. It was all Dean, Dean, Dean." Jack stepped forward. "Why are you so special?"**

**Dean smirked. "It's 'cause I'm awesome." Then he sobered quickly. "I don't know, okay? I ask myself that everyday."**

"**Hm…maybe it's your whole self-worth issue. Even I can see you hate yourself. Maybe she thinks she can fix you." He was talking as if he were thinking to himself.**

**Jack looked at me. He seemed…mean now. He'd never been mean before, but maybe he'd had enough of me putting Dean first. And then just like that…his anger vanished. Bipolar man.**

**I looked at Dean and saw that he looked ready to punch something. Or more precisely, someone.**

"**Just don't pay attention to him," I said, grabbing his hand. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."**

**I could tell, though, that this wasn't over.**

* * *

**At Madison's door, we knocked twice before Sam answered. He was visibly upset and not just because Madison had got one over on us. Did Sam…like her? Like…like her, like her?**

**Madison was tied to a chair. She was crying, and she looked hysterical. She had a cut at her temple, close to her eye where my ring had cut her.**

**Sam looked suspiciously at Jack. "Can he be trusted?"**

"**Hm, the jury's still out on that one," Dean said.**

"**But…I don't think he's here to hurt us," I added. "Not physically, anyway."**

"**We'll explain later," Dean said.**

"**Okay, good," Sam said. "We need to talk."**

**Sam led us - Jack included - to the kitchen where we began talking amongst ourselves.**

"**She says she has no idea what I'm talkin' about."**

"**Well, she's lyin'," Dean said simply.**

"**Or maybe she really doesn't know she's changing. Ya know, maybe when the creature takes over, she blacks out."**

"**Like a really hot Incredible Hulk," Dean quipped. "Come on, dude, she ganked her boss and her ex-boyfriend. That doesn't sound rash and unconscious."**

"**Yeah, but what if it was, Dean?" Sam asked desperately. "I mean, what if some animal part of her brain saw both those guys as threats? Hell, the cop, too."**

"**What, are you the Dog Whisperer now?"**

"**Dean," I started, "I'm with Sam on this one. I mean, that could've been me. What if it had been me?"**

"**But if she can't control it, more people are gonna die," Dean said. "It doesn't change anything."**

"**There may be another way," Jack said, speaking for the first time. "There's an old legend about a cure. You, uh, kill the werewolf that bit her and like a sickness, it'll go away."**

"**It's worth a shot," Sam said, but then his face fell. "Wait…that means she has to die, anyway. She bit you," he added, looking at me.**

"**Oh, uh, actually, I'm fine here. Um…I won't turn."**

**Sam looked confused. "But you were bitten."**

"**She can't be turned into anything dark or evil. It's against her nature. Werewolf, vampire, demon. She can't be fully possessed, either. A demon would die before they fully took her over. The succubus that took her over? She would've killed it eventually."**

**And wow, wasn't Jack full of fun facts to know and learn?**

**Dean sighed, looking at Jack. Dean really didn't wanna work with him, it seemed.**

"**Okay, even if what you say is true, we don't know where to start looking. I mean, the puppy that bit Madison could be anyone, anywhere. It could've been years ago."**

**Sam shook his head. "No, I don't think so."**

**Sam began walking back to the room Madison was in.**

"**Wait, what do you mean?" I asked. "Why don't you think so?"**

"**You'll see," Sam said.**

**Well, _that_ cleared everything up. It would've been so annoying if he hadn't explained himself properly.**

**When we reached the room Madison was in, Sam knelt in front of her.**

"**Madison, when were you mugged?"**

**She just looked defiantly back at him.**

"**Please. It's important, all right? Just answer the question."**

"**About a month ago."**

"**Did you see the guy?"**

"**No. He grabbed me from behind."**

"**Did he bite you?"**

**Madison looked at Sam for a long time before answering. "How did you know that?"**

"**Where's the mark?" Sam asked.**

"**O-on the back of my neck."**

**Sam stood up and went behind her. He removed her hair from her neck and looked.**

"**Where were you at the time?" Dean asked.**

"**Walking home from a friend's loft."**

"**Let me guess. Not too far from Hunter's Point?"**

**Madison nodded hesitantly. Sam and Dean exchanged glances. I knew why. Hunter's Point was where the other murders happened.**

**The guys nodded for me to follow them back out the room, so I did.**

"**So what're we gonna do?" Dean asked. "We can't just let her bust loose, but she's gonna turn tonight."**

"**You go to Hunter's Point," Sam said. "I'll stay with Madison."**

"**And if she gets loose?"**

"**Then I'll shoot her, okay? Just…look for the thing. Maybe we can save her."**

**Dean was silent for about a minute, but then he said, "fine."**

"**Well, what do we do until then," I asked. "We can't just wait for her to turn, can we? I mean, she's gonna get hungry, she's gonna have to go to the bathroom. We can't keep her tied up."**

"**Yes, we can," Dean said. "That's what we're doin', actually."**

"**Oh, great. So if we save her, she'll just be traumatized for life," Sam said.**

"**Sam…" Dean said. "What else can we do?"**

"**Nothing. I guess."**

* * *

**An hour later we were all in the main room. I felt so bad for Madison - she couldn't help that she'd been bitten. And then here we were making things worse by having to keep her tied up.**

**The closer it got to nightfall, the worse I felt, which made sense when I thought about it, because the wolf gene - disease? - only took over at night. I hadn't eaten anything, really, and I'd only had a little water since I'd been bitten, so needless to say, I was feeling weak.**

**Dean was getting ready to leave and he was taking Jack with him. I hoped they didn't get preoccupied with arguing and lose focus on what they were supposed to be doing. Or…scratch that. I hoped _Jack_ didn't get preoccupied. Dean was a professional, whereas Jack sometimes acted like he wasn't.**

**Not to mention the unresolved issues between them. Jack wouldn't intentionally hurt Dean, would he? He hadn't so far, but they _had_ been arguing recently.**

**Madison had begged us to let her go, and Sam had tried to comfort her as best a possible. Sam told her if she'd put up with us for another day then we'd leave and this would just be a memory.**

* * *

**After Dean and Jack left, Madison started crying again.**

"**Please, let me go," she said. She was begging me as much as she was Sam. "This isn't real. You know this isn't real."**

**I was on the couch - the fever Jack had talked about had hit me, so I felt bad - and I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't know how. Seriously? How do you say 'hi, you're a monster now,' without sounding insensitive? Not to mention the fact that she didn't believe us; she thought we were nuts.**

**Then it hit me: My bite mark. The one she'd given me. But I couldn't show her that. She's just ask question that I couldn't answer. Like how come I wouldn't turn into a werewolf myself.**

"**We're not gonna hurt you," Sam said softly. "We're tryin' to help you."**

**Time passed by pretty quickly after that, but that was mostly because I kept dozing off on the couch. The last time I woke up it was because I felt nauseous again and I was cramping up. My heart was racing the way it does when you feel like you're gonna empty your stomach.**

**I laid there just swallowing repeatedly, until I decided it would be best if I made it to the bathroom before the bile decided to come up.**

**After I got done I rinsed my mouth weakly and ran cool water over my face. I felt clammy. When I went back to the main room and laid back on the couch I groaned softly.**

"**You okay?" Sam asked sympathetically.**

**I looked at him. He was standing by the window looking out. Madison was asleep now. Or at least she looked asleep. Her neck was tilted down at an odd angle; she would definitely have a crick in her neck when she awoke.**

"**No," I said honestly. "I feel horrible. I'm hungry, but just the thought of eating makes me queasy."**

**Sam sat beside me. "Maybe you're pregnant," Sam quipped lightly.**

**I glared at him. "I'm not. Don't even joke about that."**

"**It could happen," Sam said just to bug me.**

"**Sam, when I feel better, I'm gonna smack you so hard it'll make your head spin."**

"**Uh-huh."**

"**I will," I threatened.**

"**Well, I mean…you and Dean have been all over each other lately…so…"**

"**Shut up, Sam."**

**If I hadn't been feeling so bad I would've blushed. But as it was, I didn't feel like I was blushing, and usually my cheeks heated from embarrassment.**

**Something in Sam's voice had caught my attention, though. Not for the first time, I detected a hint of jealousy. It didn't happen very often, but the little green monster had apparently chosen to rear its ugly head tonight.**

"**Sam…just because Dean and I have each other doesn't mean that you're alone, ya know."**

"**I know," Sam said quickly. "Really, I'm happy for you guys." Only, he didn't sound happy.**

"**Sam…"**

**I was cut off by a snarl and then the sound of rope snapping filled the room. Madison. Sam and I shot off the couch - my sickness be damned - and we got our guns out in record time.**

"**Don't shoot her unless you have to," Sam said.**

"**Really?" I asked.**

"**Yes, get her to the closet."**

**We had to lure a werewolf? In a nice non-fatal way?**

"**Fine," I said reluctantly.**

**Sam and Madison had a brief but intense staring match. Before I knew what was happening, Sam had been knocked to the ground.**

**I realized unless I could somehow get her in the closet then I'd have to shoot her. But I was in no condition to wrestle with a werewolf. But I figured it was better for me to get bitten again then for Sam to get his heart ripped out. So I did a very stupid thing. I went and grabbed Madison's hair. It got her attention and she growled at me.**

**I started backing up slowly. "Come on, Maddie, can't ya catch me?"**

**She chased me around the room and I had her crashing into her coffee table. It just annoyed her further.**

**Sam got up quickly and made for the closet door, which I led her towards. I moved away just in time for Sam to swiftly shut her in.**

**I took a deep breath and used my inner strength to move the entertainment center across the room to place in front of the door. A pain shot through my head and I became dizzy. I vaguely wondered why, if the power came from my heart, it hurt my head when I overexerted myself.**

**Losing my strength altogether, I fell to my knees, panting.**

"**Whoa, hey, you okay?" Sam asked, quickly coming to me.**

"**Weak now," I explained softly.**

"**Do you need something?"**

"**No, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."**

"**Yeah, okay. Let's get you back to the couch, though."**

**I agreed with that so I let Sam help me up and to the couch, on which I collapsed, exhausted.**

"**Mm. I hope Dean and Jack are okay," I said.**

"**Yeah. And that they bagged the werewolf." He looked toward the closet. There were scratching noises coming from inside. "Madison doesn't deserve what's happening to her."**

"**Yeah, she's nice. Except for the…werewolf thing."**

"**Right."**

**It was funny, but Sam sounded…wistful, almost. Then it hit me.**

"**You really like her, don't you?"**

"**Yeah, but it's kind of a moot point now, don't you think? Everything's different now."**

"**It's not a moot point, not if you like her." I turned to him, and noticed for the first time that he had three small scratches on his cheek. "You're hurt."**

"**I'm fine," he said, shrugging it off. "You should rest, though."**

* * *

**Two hours later, Dean and Jack got back. They said that Glen - Madison's neighbor - was the werewolf, which surprised me. I never would've guessed. Although he had been awfully protective of her. Dean also said that Glen had had no clue what he even was or how he'd gotten to Hunter's Point.**

**Anyway, there was still tension between Dean and Jack and they both looked like they'd fought the other. Dean had a busted lip, and Jack had a bruise forming on his jaw and another beneath his left eye, high on his cheek.**

"**Wow, what did you do to each other?" I asked, shaking my head.**

"**We settled a few things," Dean said vaguely. "Anyway, I knew you hadn't eaten - or couldn't eat anything heavy, so…" He pulled out a pack of Saltines and a 7-up from a bag he'd been carrying. "Maybe once you eat somethin' you'll feel a little better."**

**I smiled a thank you and then looked pointedly at Jack. He'd asked earlier what made Dean so special, why I'd picked him over Jack. Well, it was _this_. He was thoughtful and kind - not every boyfriend in the world would go and just randomly be like 'oh, you're feelin' sick? Well, let me go buy you some crackers, see if it helps.' A lot of guys would be like 'My girl's sick? A'right, I can hang out with the guys tonight.'**

**And sure, Dean could ignore big pink elephants sometimes, but when it really mattered, he'd always come through. And he wasn't just one of those guys who _pretended_ to care; he actually _did_. Now that I thought about it…I didn't think there was a fake or insincere bone in his body. Not when it came to us.**

"**So…" Dean began. "I guess we're staying here tonight, and then we'll just keep watch outside tomorrow."**

"**Sure," Sam said. "I mean, it should be over now, right?"**

"**Here's to hoping," I said.**

"**Anyway, why do you think Glen turned Madison instead of just killin' her in the first place?" Dean asked.**

"**Well, he had to have been fascinated by her," Jack said. "His animal side wouldn't have kept her alive if he hadn't been."**

"**Why'd she bite me?" I asked. She had been more fascinated by Sam than by me.**

"**Probably because, in her animal state, she could sense what's inside you. The power. The light. The stronger you get the brighter you'll shine. Dark things like to corrupt things made of light. That's the story of the world."**

**Things were silent for about a minute, until Dean looked at Sam intently.**

"**So…about Madison…"**

"**Oh, whatever," Sam said, weakly - and sadly.**

"**Don't _whatever_ me, man, you like her."**

"**Dean, she thinks I'm a stark raving lunatic. That we all are, actually."**

"**Yeah, but you saved her life."**

"**And girls get off on that stuff," I said lightly. "Besides, when she sees the damage she's done to her closet…I think she'll believe you."**


	52. Heart Pt Four

**Okay, so I've tried updating like three times now and every time I've done it it says I have an outdated URL. So here's to hoping it works this time.**

**Heart  
Part Four**

**The next morning, I woke up with Dean on the couch. I was sorta smooshed between him and the couch cushions. Half my body was on his and our legs were sorta tangled together.**

**I tried getting up, but Dean's arms tightened around me. He seemed to be asleep, though, so maybe it was just instinctive.**

"**Dean, wake up," I said softly, shaking him into awareness.**

**His eyes opened slowly. "Don't wanna," he said.**

**I smiled fondly at him. "Well, we're gonna have to let Madison out soon, so…"**

"**Right."**

**We both sat up and I noticed that both Jack and Sam were at the kitchen table. Sam was looking at the closet door. Jack was looking at the two guys back and forth like something about them just…stumped him.**

**Jack… There was a puzzle I didn't feel like riddling out just yet. I didn't know if I could trust him anymore…or ever again, actually. I mean, what he'd said had been true. He'd never physically hurt any of us - not counting his and Dean's little scuffle the night before. But then again…withholding information was dangerous in and of itself. Especially in our line of work.**

* * *

**Five minutes later Dean, Jack and I walked out the door. We were planning on waiting for Sam there. Hopefully he'd talk to Madison and they could work something out.**

"**I'm gonna go wait in the car," Dean said. "I know Sam's just gonna let her out and leave."**

"**Maybe," I said. "Maybe not. I'll wait and see."**

**Jack and I stood there awkwardly, watching Dean walk away.**

"**So…why him? You didn't answer yesterday."**

**Was he really gonna bring this up again? Really?**

**I sighed impatiently. "Does it matter? I love him because I love him."**

"**Please. I know you're not easily led by your emotions. There must be a reason." Jack feigned nonchalance, leaning back against the wall. "Besides, the way Manu put it, I thought you were with Sam."**

**I froze for a second.**

"**What?"**

"**That's just what he said - or alluded to, really. So I'm wondering…why Dean?"**

"**I…I could never be with Sam. I don't love him the way I love Dean." Suddenly it registered that Jack had used the guy's name. "I thought you didn't know who he was."**

**Jack scoffed. "Do you honestly think I'd work with someone without know his name?"**

"**Do you honestly believe you can keep lying to me and expect me to trust you again?" I shot back.**

"**Look, I didn't tell you then because I had to make sure it was all right. I can pretty much talk to him whenever I want in my head."**

"**Oh, and that's not creepy at all," I said sarcastically.**

**I leaned back beside him.**

"**Do you _really_ wanna know why I love him?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Okay. I love him because…he is so close to being perfect and he doesn't know it. He can't see it. He is so good to me and he can't understand why I love him. He gives and he gives and he never expects anything in return. He doesn't think he deserves me, which is why he does."**

**Jack looked at me skeptically and I smiled slightly.**

"**Dean isn't a bad guy," I said. "Despite what you might think, he's a very good guy. He makes me feel safe and warm in a world that is dangerous and cold. And _that_ is why I love him."**

**I crossed my arms in front of me defiantly.**

"**You don't have to like that we're together, you don't even have to accept it. But you _will_ respect it. And Dean…you'll respect Dean. I'll make sure he does the same for you."**

**Jack nodded tersely. "Okay."**

"**Good." I looked at him again, less defiantly this time. "So…this training thing? Do you know why I'm doing it? I mean, you seem to know everything else."**

**Jack sighed. "I know. You think you can save Dean. It won't work."**

"**Thanks for having confidence in me."**

**Jack shook his head. "You misunderstand me. You're destined to fail. It won't work."**

"**Well, then I defy destiny. And besides…just because something might not work doesn't mean you shouldn't try. If that were the case, nothing would ever get done."**

* * *

**Dean had been right about Sam. He's just wanted to go, but Madison had told him we could stay. She'd said as crazy as it sounded, she believed us now. We should just wait it out together.**

**Sam and Jack had followed her back into her apartment; I went to go get Dean from the car.**

"**We're staying?" Dean was surprised.**

"**So it seems," I said. Before we even reached the door to go in, I was sighing in frustration.**

"**What?" Dean asked. "Jack again?"**

"**Yeah, of course."**

**He grabbed my hand and squeezed softly and smiled sympathetically. Although when he touched me now it was usually part being comforting and part trying to figure out what I was feeling. His new found gift was something he found enjoyable. I still didn't know how he did it. I actually had to reach out to find out what he was feeling, all he had to do was touch me and there it was, clear as day.**

"**You're confused."**

**From anyone else, that would've been weird - the whole I-can-feel-what-you-feel-by-touching-you thing. But it was Dean, so I didn't mind. It was actually comforting.**

"**I am," I said. "I don't know what to do. Part of me says 'send him away, he's never gonna be completely honest'."**

"**And…the other part of you?"**

"**The other part keeps reminding me he's my dad. And he's never done anything - physically - to hurt me."**

"**Well…make your head be quite. Don't think. Just…what do you_ want_?"**

"**To train," I said quickly.**

"**Don't make this about me," Dean said softly. "I asked what _you_ want."**

"**Well, I do want to be able to control whatever power it is that I have."**

**I had been wanting to be able to control myself for a while, but Dean was right. This was about him. If - and according to Jack, it would - _if_ what my mom had said was supposed to happen, happened then…I would do anything to get ready. And if that meant keeping Jack around then…so be it.**

* * *

"**So, when will we know for sure? Moonrise?" Madison asked about two hours later.**

**We hadn't been doing anything other than talking and Dean had said he was pretty sure she wouldn't change. We just had to make sure.**

"**No, I don't think so," Sam said. "You turned in the middle of the night last night. I think we've gotta hang in until sun-up."**

**It wasn't even noon, so this was gonna be a long, tense wait. Maybe Jack would feel like going back to the motel and we could train for a while. Or maybe I could do something else. Training probably wouldn't be good since I hadn't really had anything solid to eat since I'd been bitten.**

**But I needed to start soon. I had held back before when I'd been talking to Jack. I mean, sure, all the things I'd said had been true, but…it was so much more.**

**As pathetic and co-dependent as it sounded…Dean was my lifeline, the air that I breathed. And our _bond_ had only grown stronger since we'd consummated our relationship. And like I'd told Jack, Dean didn't think he deserved someone to be as devoted to him as I was, which just made me love him even more.**

**Dean's cocky attitude was just a façade. The only time he was really sure of himself was when he was hunting. And before me, when he was flirting. I was almost positive that even now after everything Dean and I had been through, he still wondered when I was gonna leave. People leaving him was what he was used to, why would I be any different?**

**Unless something drastically changed between us, though, I would stay with him.**

**Dean snapped his fingers in front of my face, breaking me out of my thoughts.**

"**Hey, space cadet. Come back down to earth."**

"**Hm?"**

"**Are you gonna try to eat? We're gonna order pizza."**

**Pizza sounded really good, although…grease.**

"**I'll try and eat."**

"**Meat lover's?"**

"**Yup." If I was gonna be sick from eating, I might as well have something that tastes good going down. "And those cheesy breadstick things."**

* * *

**Thirty minutes later we were all sitting around Madison's living room, eating. She'd asked how we even knew werewolves existed.**

"**It sorta…runs in the family," Sam explained. "Our dad taught me and Dean, and we taught Alyson after we met her."**

"**And…this is your job?" Madison asked, genuinely interested.**

"**It's more like a calling," I said, shrugging. "But, yeah."**

"**Wow…that must really suck."**

"**Yeah, sometimes," Sam said. "But someone's gotta do it."**

"**And it's automatically you guys?" she asked softly.**

"**Well, when you know the stuff we do, it's hard to ignore the things that go on around you. Or at least it would be for me," I said. "I mean, don't get me wrong. There are other people like us, but they're few and far between. So like Sam said…someone's gotta do the job."**

"**So…how did you know that a werewolf - that _I_ - was killing people?"**

"**You sure you wanna know?" Dean asked.**

"**Yes. I think I want to."**

"**Okay," Sam started. "Well, first…the lunar cycle matched. Full moon and all that."**

"**And Nate? Did _I_ kill him?"**

"**That wasn't your fault," Sam said. "You didn't have any control over it. But, yeah, it was you. The werewolf in you must have seen him as a threat."**

"**Wow." Madison was silent for a moment. "I didn't mean to hurt anybody."**

"**We know that," Sam said. "You didn't know."**

* * *

**The day went by slowly. _Very_ slowly. Sam and Madison talked to each other, but mostly…they spoke with their eyes. They each liked the other, I could tell. Maybe after all this was over they would be able to…well, do whatever it was they wanted to do with each other.**

**Finally, though, the sun rose. Our plan had worked. Madison hadn't turned at all during the night.**

"**Does this mean it worked?" Madison asked hopefully.**

"**Yeah, I think so," Sam said, relieved.**

**Madison then hugged Sam, who hesitated before returning it.**

"**Oh, God, thank you. Thank you so much."**

**I smiled softly at the two of them before grabbing Dean's hand and gently began pulling him towards the door. I nodded for Jack to follow us.**

**It seemed that Sam and Madison were oblivious to us letting ourselves out, which made me smile even more.**

"**So…I'm glad that worked," I said. "Too bad we're gonna have to leave though."**

* * *

**Back at the motel, Jack got his own room even though Dean and I had an extra bed. It wasn't only because we didn't trust him., it was also because he was my dad. And that would've just been awkward.**

**Dean and I watched some movie on the TV. _Devour_ or something like that.**

"**This'll be good for Sam," I said suddenly. "Won't it?"**

"**Us watchin' the movie?" Dean joked lightly and I elbowed him gently in the ribs.**

"**You know what I mean," I said. "Madison. She'll be good for Sam?"**

"**Sure. For now. But like you said, we can't stay."**

"**Yeah. So…I think he's jealous again."**

"**Really?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. Maybe ya'll should do somethin' without me - maybe go to a bar or something. I think he misses just the two of you."**

"**Sam loves havin' you around. What're you talkin' about?"**

"**Well, he got used to havin' you to himself and now that you're with me, I think he feels left out. Or maybe like a third wheel. Three's a crowd and all that."**

"**He's not a third wheel," Dean said.**

"**I know that, but maybe Sam doesn't."**

"**Well, I'll talk to him about it."**

"'**Kay."**

**There was a brief silence before Dean started speaking again. "Speaking of jealous relatives…is Jack staying for a while?"**

"**I don't know. He's gonna have to gain my trust again, but I wanna start training as soon as possible."**

**Dean was no longer watching the TV at all. He was paying attention to me now.**

"**I wish you wouldn't worry so much about something that hasn't happened yet."**

"**Dean, I worried about losing you even before the dreams. Even before the vision quest."**

"**You never told me that."**

"**You worry about losin' me and Sam all the time, you're not exactly vocal about it either," I reminded him. "Besides, you're the most important thing to me now, so I thought you knew."**

**That last statement I'd made seemed to make Dean uncomfortable. Dean couldn't imagine being important to anyone - that was mostly John's fault, I had to admit - and the thought of it made him…well…uncomfortable. He had no _idea_ what I could possibly see in him. **

**I wished he could see himself through my eyes, but I knew even if I tried to show him, he wouldn't believe me. He just couldn't see it. It had been ingrained in Dean at such a young age that the only things he was good for was hunting, watching Sam, and taking orders. Not particularly in that order, but still…because that's what John had taught him, had trained him to do…that's all Dean thought he was. A hunter, a soldier, a protector. Sometimes Dean even hated himself, I knew that. But I loved Dean despite his flaws. To me he was never more perfect because of them.**

* * *

**Later that day - around five - Jack came to our room. He looked a little unsure of himself, like maybe he wasn't sure it was okay for him to be here.**

"**So, what d'you want now?" I asked politely- overly so.**

**Jack mostly ignored my tone, but he did answer. "I need to clear some things up. If you'll let me."**

"**That would be awesome," I said. "But how do I know you're not gonna lie again?"**

"**I won't lie again," he said. "If I can't tell you, I'll tell you I can't tell you."**

**I hesitated, looking at Dean, seeking guidance, but his eyes told me this decision was mine to make.**

"**If you don't believe me, you could always read my mind."**

"**I dunno, your mind is probably a pretty scary place," I said. "But…okay."**

"**Okay? Good." Jack sounded relieved. "Then…where do you want me to start?"**

"**The beginning would be good," I said.**

"**Okay, well, everything I told you was true. I may have left things out, but that's 'cause I couldn't tell you."**

**I sighed. _That_ was part of the problem. He couldn't do a lot of things, it seemed. And it was all because of this Manu guy - thing? I was gonna go with thing.**

"**Okay, well… The first thing you should know is Manu is the one who told me you guys were at the Roadhouse the first time I found you guys."**

"**And how did this Manu guy know where we were?" Dean asked suspiciously.**

"**Well, he always knows where Alyson is. But don't worry, he doesn't wanna hurt her. And he's not stalking her or anything. He's just…kind of got, like, a LoJack on her."**

**My mind flashed back to when I'd first laid eyes on Jack after I thought he'd died. He'd known who Sam and Dean were even before he'd found me. He'd come to us the first time Sam had taken off and he'd known where Sam was.**

"**When you talked to me the first time…when Sam was gone… Did you really hear Sam talking or did Manu tell you where he was?"**

"**I really heard. Manu is only vaguely concerned with Sam. He's more interested in you."**

"**Did Manu tell you about me? Or was it really Jim Murphy?"**

"**Well, both, actually. Um…there's somethin' you should know about yourself."**

**I looked intently at him. This sounded seriously serious.**

"**When I died…that wasn't the first time I heard Manu."**

"**Well, when did you?"**

"**When Elizabeth was pregnant with you. Or…well, actually even before that but only once. It was a month after I married your mother. Manu came to me in my head. I thought I was crazy at first. He asked for permission for you to be born. He picked Elizabeth because she'd known Mary…I said yes, obviously."**

"**Permission?" Dean asked. "Why permission? And what did my mom have to do with anything?"**

"**Well, he explained that she'd be…special, different. He had to make sure we could handle it, that we'd accept the responsibility and keep her safe. As for you mom? It's not exactly your mom that's important. Alyson was born because Sam was born. There has to be a balance in the universe or it sends things out of whack. I think…I think you guys were just meant to know each other, that's why Elizabeth was picked."**

"**Okay, so…you knew there was stuff out there. You said Jim was the one who taught you."**

"**He did teach me, but, yeah, I knew."**

"**But you told him you didn't," Dean said. "Why?"**

"**I didn't know how serious it was. How many demons were gonna be after her until Jim told me about Yellow-Eyes and the prophecy."**

"**Speaking of Yellow-Eyes…he said he doesn't wanna kill me anymore," I said, breaking into his explanation. "Is he for real, or is it a trick?"**

"**No, that's true. You know that war Yellow-Eyes wants to start?"**

"**Yes," I said hesitantly. "What about it?"**

"**Well, he wants you on his side, by _Sam's_ side."**

**Is that what he'd meant when he'd said he thought Sam and I were the ones who were together? Were we supposed to be the leaders in this war?**

"**Do you know Yellow-Eyes' plans for them?" Dean asked in a tone that said Jack better tell us if he _did_ know.**

"**I know a lot of demons think Sam's the Boy-King."**

"**Boy-King?"**

"**He's supposed to rule over all demons."**

"**And me?" I asked.**

"**You're _not_ supposed to rule over demons," he said, smiling slightly. "You're not supposed to rule over anything."**

"**Do you know what that prophecy meant?" Dean asked. "All that righteous stuff? And the humanity thing?"**

"**Well, that's one of those things I'm not supposed to say. But…the righteous thing? Remember when James said he couldn't tell whether it meant one or man?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Well, it meant Man. Capital R, capital M."**

"**So…the Righteous Man would be who, exactly?" I asked. "I mean, if I'm supposed to protect him, I need to know who he is."**

**Jack glanced at Dean and then back at me. "You're fairly intimate with him."**

**I looked at Dean. Righteous? Was he the Righteous Man the prophecy spoke of? I mean, I could see it. Dean always stood up for what he believed was right. He was always willing to help others in need even if it meant risking his own life.**

"**Wait, are you saying it's me?" Dean asked skeptically. "You sure your brain-buddy knows what he's talkin' about? I've done a lot of things that I don't see as entirely _righteous_."**

"**Well, apparently _someone_ thinks you're righteous."**

**Well, then…Dean was screwed. He protected me more than I protected him. That was what he saw his job as: he was the protector.**

"**So…you knew about me from the time I was…conceived?"**

**Jack nodded. "Pretty much."**

"**Why didn't anyone come after me before Yellow-Eyes?" I asked.**

"**Oh, they did. But Manu told me how to ward off demons and stuff. The salt and stuff like that. Your mother thought I was nuts." Jack smiled softly. I'd noticed he did that a lot when he thought about my mother.**

**I was busy trying to wrap my head around all this new information when suddenly Dean asked a very good question.**

"**Did her mom know Manu? I mean, you said he needed permission so… it was her body that had to be used."**

"**She knew him for maybe five minutes. After she said yes…he took the memories of him away. She wasn't supposed to know. If she'd known, you would've been raised differently and you wouldn't be who you are now."**

"**Would it have mattered?" I asked curiously.**

"**Yes. You weren't supposed to know about demons and the like. You would've turned out different. You would've been…jaded. Not so innocent. You would've had different views of the world."**

**Okay…I could see where he was coming from, honestly. But wouldn't it have made it easier to control myself if I'd been hardened to the world. Everybody always said that my emotions were what held me back. They made me very volatile.**

"**Anyway, I came after you, but it was too late. You'd gone and Elizabeth was dead."**

"**It was June," I said, hoping it would prompt him to explain how he'd died. That's the main part I was curious about.**

"**It was. I don't know exactly when you left, but your furniture was still there. And the carpet was…there was blood."**

**I grimaced slightly. That had been where my mom had been killed. I was sorry he'd had to see it.**

"**Did you…die in the house?" I asked hesitantly.**

"**No," Jack said quickly. "No. I died after I went to Layla's, in my motel room. Yellow-Eyes showed up. I hadn't had time to ward him off."**

"**You must've really pissed him off if he came for you himself," Dean said.**

"**He really didn't want me to find Alyson."**

"**Didn't want me to be trained?"**

"**Right. Unless you're on his side. Which will never happen," he said. Though this time it sounded more like he knew it would never happen because he knew me, and not because some invisible voice in his head told him so.**

**I nodded emphatically, though. I would _never_ be on his side, as Jack had said.**

"**So, this Manu guy brought you back just so you could train Alyson?" Dean asked.**

"**More or less. He couldn't do it himself, so I said I'd do it for him."**

"**More or less?" I asked. "What does that mean?"**

"**Remember that war? Well, you won't be able to stop it, but you'll give the good guys a chance of landing on top."**

"**Is that what Manu said?"**

"**It's what he _knows_. It's what you were born for."**

"**And how does he know?" Dean asked. "And…how short a leash does he have you on, anyway?"**

"**Not a very short one. Most of the things I know are things that have already happened, he just fills in the blanks for me when I don't know what's happened."**

"**Like my werewolf bite?" I questioned.**

"**Exactly. I was in the parking lot when he told me."**

"**How did he get you to trust him?" Dean asked.**

"**He showed me what the world looks like after the war. It's…not pretty. It's dark and burnt and…just bad. Bad."**

"**And he wants to prevent that?"**

"**He wants to make it less bad. He'd like for it to not happen at all but…he's not sure how to go about it."**

"**And he thinks I can help?"**

"**He knows you'll be able to do something, he just doesn't know what."**

"**Well, that's comforting," Dean sniped.**

"**How does the war start? Can you tell us that?"**

**Jack grimaced and shook his head. "I don't…I can't. That's one of the things you need to find out yourself."**

* * *

**Around three in the morning someone woke us up, pounding on the door. It better not have been Jack. I hadn't had a good nights sleep in a long time what with the dreams and all, so if it was him, he was gonna be in a world of hurt.**

**I groaned, not opening my eyes, and felt Dean already stirring. Well, good…I'd let him get it. He rubbed up and down my arm a few times before standing.**

**I did open my eyes now, though it was more a precaution than anything else. Someone evil could have been at the door. It wasn't someone bad though. It was Sam.**

"**Sammy?"**

"**She turned," Sam said, coming in. "I couldn't grab her in time."**

**I sat up and Dean threw my jeans on the bed and I grabbed them.**

"**I already called Bobby," Sam said. "He doesn't know anything. _Except_ he knew severing the bloodline wouldn't work. That's everyone. They all say it's impossible to reverse it."**

**Bobby had probably called us idjits for not calling him in the first place.**

"**How come she didn't turn when we were with her?" Dean asked curiously. "Maybe she's gotta be asleep to turn."**

"**What the hell does it matter, Dean?" Sam asked impatiently. "Look, we've gotta find some way to help her, some legend we missed or something."**

"**If there was, don't you think someone we know would've known it?" Dean said.**

"**Well, then we have to look harder until we find something," said Sam.**

**He had the serious puppy eyes going on. And this sucked royally. Here I'd thought Sam had found someone he could be happy with - at least for a little while - and we had to end her life.**

"**Sammy, I don't think we've got a choice here anymore," Dean said, trying to reach Sam's head instead of his heart. "I hate to say it. She's a sweet girl, but part of her is -"**

"**Evil?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**Yeah, that's what they say about me, Dean. So, me you won't kill but her you're just gonna blow away?"**

**I'd put my jeans on as they'd been talking, so now I stood up. "Look, Sam, we'll _try_ to find something. But if we can't…" I trailed off. "I like Madison. I do, but…" Yet again I trailed off. Only this time, it was because I thought of something. "I'll meet you guys in the car."**

"**Well, wait. Where're you going?" Dean asked.**

"**To talk to Jack."**

"**You think he can help her?" Sam asked hopefully.**

**I grimaced. "No, Sam. I don't."**

"**Well, then why are we wastin' time with him?" Sam was impatient again. "Let's just go find Madison."**

"**We don't even know where she is," I said. "But Jack might."**

**I walked out the door and Sam followed.**

"**What d'you mean? Why would he know?"**

"**Just…follow me."**

* * *

**When we got to Jack's door I banged on it, much like Sam had banged on ours. When Jack opened it, he didn't look like he'd been asleep at all.**

"**What?" he asked, looking at all three of us in turn. He didn't seem surprised to see Sam here.**

"**Did you know?"**

"**About what?"**

"**That Madison would turn again, did you know?"**

**Jack was shamefaced, and that was pretty much all the answer I needed. It seemed to be the only answer Sam needed, too, because he launched himself at Jack, shoving past me and Dean, into the room.**

"**You son of a bitch!" Sam said, knocking him to the floor. "Where is she?"**

"**I don't know." Sam kicked him - gave him a kidney shot. "God, I don't know. She'll be at Middle Point in the morning, I don't know where she is now."**

**Sam kicked him once again for good measure before turning back to walk out the door. Dean looked worriedly after him and I gestured for him to go.**

**I closed the door behind Dean and turned to Jack, who was struggling to get up. I stayed where I was - I didn't even have the urge to help him right now. I sighed in disappointment. And after all his talk about not lying again not even twelve hours ago.**

"**Are you happy now?" I seethed. "I think you've effectively screwed up your chances of me ever trusting you again." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why didn't you tell us? How long have you known?"**

**He stepped towards me carefully. "I've known all along, but I knew -"**

**I interrupted his explanation with a well-placed punch to the jaw. It knocked him back a few steps.**

"**You knew all along? Why didn't you tell me?"**

"**You know why. I can't tell you things that are going to happen unless I have permission. I can't…In order for things to turn out the way they're meant to…in order for you guys to do what has to be done you can't know about the things you have to do before you have to do them. Someone will try to change it and mess everything up."**

"**No, that's bullshit!" I yelled. A surge of power from me broke the TV screen. "Stop taking the easy way out. Stop making this about the weirdo in your head. This is _your_ fault."**

"**Look, I get that you're upset -"**

"**No, no, actually, I've moved past upset and gone straight to pissed off. Do you have idea what you've done to Sam - to Madison - by keeping this from us?"**

**The light in the room started flickering and then it busted, sparks flying everywhere.**

"**I want you gone by the time I get back. Really. _Don't_ be here."**

"**What about your training?"**

"**Screw training. I'll do it myself."**

**I reached for the door, but Jack grabbed my shoulder gently.**

"**What about saving Dean?"**

**He didn't say it in a taunting way, but that's how I took it, so I shrugged him off and turned to face him.**

"**Don't you _dare_ use that against me. And don't pretend you care what happens to him. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about him. You wouldn't care if he died_ tomorrow_, would you?"**

"**I don't want Dean to die," Jack said. "I don't know why you think that."**

"**It's obvious you don't like him, I just don't know why," I said, and turned back to the door. "Good-bye."**

* * *

**That morning, we found Madison at Middle Point, just where Jack had said she'd be. She wasn't in shock exactly, but she did look like she'd been crying, which was understandable. It was so horrible for her - she'd thought she'd been cured.**

"**I don't remember anything," she said tonelessly. "I probably killed somebody last night. Didn't I?"**

**We were all in the car, taking her back to her place. We weren't exactly sure what we were gonna do yet. I knew what needed to be done, but this wasn't my decision to make.**

"**There's no way to know yet," Dean said kindly.**

"**That doesn't matter," Sam said. "Let's just get you home and then we'll find out how to help you."**

"**Is there something else we can try to make it go away?" she asked.**

"**We'll find something," Sam said firmly. "I mean, there's gotta be some answer, somewhere."**

"**That's not entirely true," Dean said quietly. "Madison, you deserve to know. We've scoured every source. There's just no cure. I mean, we could lock you up at night, but…when you bust out, and some night you will, someone else dies."**

**Madison sniffled beside me and I saw a tear fall. Oh god. She was gonna cry and then Sam was gonna cry and then we were all gonna cry.**

**By the time we got back to Madison's place she was really upset, but not so much so she couldn't function. It was better than what I would've been doing if I had been in her shoes. So I had to give her props for that.**

**When we walked in, she immediately sat in one of the kitchen chairs.**

"**So, I guess this is all there is to it, then," she said, defeated. We all could tell she was talking about dying.**

"**Stop it. Don't talk like that," Sam said.**

"**Sam. I don't wanna hurt anyone else. I don't wanna hurt you." Her voice broke at the end of the sentence, and I suddenly felt like I was watching something too personal for prying eyes. "I can't do it myself. I need you to help me."**

"**Madison, no."**

"**Sam…I'm a monster."**

"**You don't have to be. We can find a way, all right? I can. I'm gonna save you."**

**Madison cried harder and my heart broke a little bit. This wasn't fair. Madison was an innocent victim in this. She shouldn't have to die. Not for something that wasn't her fault.**

"**You tried," she said through sobs. "I know you tried. But this is all there is left."**

**And God, I couldn't watch anymore. I left to go stand near the door where I wouldn't have to see. But I could still hear.**

"**I don't wanna die. I don't," Madison said. "But I can't live like this. This is the way you can save me."**

**A couple seconds later, Sam was standing beside me, and I could see he was about to fall apart. And I hated everything in that moment. Jack for not telling us, mostly. If he'd told us before, then Sam wouldn't have gotten more attached than he already had been, and we wouldn't be here right now struggling with this.**

**I hated that Glen had bitten Maddie, hated that there were werewolves, period, actually.**

**I hated that Sam had to lose another woman he liked - loved? Could love? I hated that he was hurting. I hated how the world seemed to be against him having any kind of normal intimacy in his life. So…I was struggling with hate at the moment.**

"**Sam." Dean appeared behind Sam, holding a gun. "I'm sorry."**

"**No, you're right," Sam said, eyes full. "She's right."**

**Sam turned around and the brothers looked at each other for a while.**

"**Sammy, I got this one. I'll do it." Dean's voice was almost a whisper.**

"**She asked me to."**

**The way Sam was - the way he looked right now - I could see him as a little kid, scared of the things that go bump in the night, sad because his mom had died and his dad was never around, and all he had was his big brother.**

"**You don't have to," both Dean and I said. Neither of us wanted Sam to have to do this.**

"**Yes, I do." The tears finally spilled over and I could feel my eyes burn in response. "Just give me the gun and wait here."**

"**Sam, really," I said softly. "Let one of us do it. I can do it without…" _Shooting her_, I added silently. All I'd have to do was lay my hands on her, and it wouldn't hurt at all. It would be like getting really tired and then going to sleep.**

"**She wanted me to be the one," he said through tears. "Please."**

**He held out his hand for the gun and Dean reluctantly gave it to him. Sam went back to the entrance and then looked back at us. He was shaking from the emotional pain he was in. This would take a while for him to get over.**

**When he went into the room, I glanced over at Dean. He also had a tear rolling down his cheek so I went to stand by him, grabbing onto his arm. When Dean was in pain it had to opposite affect it had on Sam. Dean seemed older when he was upset. It was like he'd seen too much for his years to handle.**

**When the shot rang out it made Dean flinch and I just held on tighter as my tears spilled over too.**

* * *

**It took a little while to get Sam to leave, but eventually we told him someone might have heard the gunshot.**

**He wanted to get his own room even though both Dean and I thought he'd be better off with us. He didn't need to be alone right now. He pretty much insisted, though.**

**At the motel, I told Dean to make sure Sam was okay.**

"**He's not gonna want me there right now," Dean said.**

"**Maybe not. But he _will_ need you," I replied. "Just…go. Do what you would normally do if I wasn't here."**

**I walked with them to Sam's new room and then went to my room before remembering I'd told Jack to leave before we got back. So I changed directions and went to what had been Jack's room and caught him leaving, actually.**

**I didn't say anything to him. I just made sure he left. I didn't care where he went, he just couldn't be with us.**

* * *

Okay I sorta dislike the ending - even in the episode because it's sad. When I watch it I always stop it before the ending. Anyway, here's my take on it.


	53. Vegas Pt One

**Okay, so I'm back. YAY!!! The surgery went well, recovery sucked, but now I'm pretty good. I still don't have all my energy back, but the doctor said I won't for a few more weeks, but I can write again. :) This chapter, however, isn't some of my best work, in my opinion anyway, but I think that's because I was pretty much high on pain medicine when I was trying to write. LOL. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Vegas  
Part One**

**Sam had pretty much kicked Dean out of his room, saying he wanted to be alone. He'd said he was fine, but he didn't want any company.**

**Well, whether he wanted company or not…he didn't need to be alone. Not now, anyway. So here I was at Sam's motel door; I'd asked Dean to let me try and he'd agreed. He'd warned me Sam was drinking, though.**

**When Sam opened the door my nose wrinkled slightly. I could actually smell the alcohol coming off of him in waves. Ew.**

"**Oh, it's you," Sam said, moving away from the door. Apparently when you're drinking, your manners go out the window. Especially when your speech is starting to slur. That's when you know the alcohol is really kicking in.**

"**Yeah, it's me," I said softly, stepping into the room, closing the door behind me.**

**I noticed there were a couple bottles of clear liquid - Vodka? - on the table. They were the medium-sized plastic ones. One was already two-thirds empty - and Sam not being the drink-all-the-time kind, it affected him…badly.**

"**So, what d'you want?" Sam asked, sitting down on a chair clumsily.**

"**Well, I was gonna see if you needed anything, but…looks like you got it covered."**

**Sam tipped a bottle my way. "Yep. Got it covered."**

"**Okay, well…" I sat down at the table with him. "Did you wanna -"**

"**No, I don't _wanna_," Sam interrupted rudely. "I told Dean I didn't want company. What I want is to be left alone."**

"**But you don't need to be alone," I countered. "You need to be around people who love you."**

"**Yeah, and what has that gotten me s-so far?" He didn't give me time to answer. "Nothin' good, that's what."**

"**Sam…" I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to comfort someone who was drinking.**

"**I mean, I had Jess, she died. I found Madison, I had to kill her." Sam had tears in his eyes - or maybe they were just glassy from the alcohol. "But you? You're pretty much indestructible and Dean has you."**

**What did I have do with anything?**

"**You get stuck on the ceiling, you heal. You get tortured, you heal. You get bitten by a werewolf and you don't even turn."**

**I bit my lip to keep from saying anything, to keep from interrupting his rambling. I didn't want to take offense because Sam was drinking, but I knew that Sam must've been feeling this at some point or he wouldn't have been saying it. Alcohol may make you loose-lipped, but it didn't implant thoughts in your brain. Right?**

"**Why does Dean get to have this when I can't?"**

**Okay, so the wetness in Sam's eyes wasn't the alcohol; it was tears. But from the way he was talking, I was the _last_ person he wanted comfort from.**

"**Everybody I touch dies. It's like I'm destined to be alone while you and Dean just have a good ol' time together."**

**And now _my_ eyes were misting, blurring Sam in front of me. I didn't wanna know this stuff. I mean, sure, I'd known Sam had jealousy issues, and I even understood why. But I never would've guessed he had so much built up resentment inside him. Toward me, toward Dean, towards the _world_ even. He'd held all this anger and pain in for so long that now it was just busting out.**

"**It was just me and Dean for so long…and then you came along and now I'm losing him because of you."**

"**You're _not_ losing Dean," I said as calmly as I could, given the situation. "And even if you were, it wouldn't be my fault." I just thought I'd clear that up for him. But he acted like I hadn't even said anything. He just kept talking.**

"**Before you, Dean would tell _me_ what was on his mind. But now all he does is run to you. You're like his security blanket now."**

"**I'm his _girlfriend_," I said heatedly, standing up. "Also, every time Dean tells you anything, you nail him with it later," I added without thinking. "And I think you've had enough."**

**I grabbed at the bottle he held, but he yanked it away, spilling some of it on himself as his hand tipped.**

"**I'm fine. I can have more if I want."**

**I threw my hands up in surrender. If he wanted to sit here and have himself a pity party then, fine, but I wasn't gonna just watch him wallow in his sorrow. If he wanted to be drunk and depressed, then I would let him do it alone.**

* * *

**When I reached my room I didn't go in right away. I knew Dean would see me and know I was upset and he'd wanna know why. And I wouldn't lie to him. I'd tell him everything if he asked.**

**So waiting was the better option. What I was waiting for, exactly, I wasn't sure. For my anger to go away? For the hurt to lessen? I was more angry than hurt, though.**

**How dare Sam take his loss out on me. It wasn't my fault he was practically cursed.**

**I wiped the tears away from my face and went in quietly. Dean was cleaning our weapons. He did it methodically, but I knew it relaxed him.**

"**Sam okay?" he asked, looking up.**

"**I dunno," I said softly. "I think he's all twisted up inside. He had a chance to be happy for a while, and it was yanked away."**

**I laid on our bed and Dean put his weapon down.**

"**Did he say anything or was he pretty much gone?"**

"**Oh, he said somethin', alright," I muttered bitterly.**

**Dean laid beside me, jostling me gently. "From your tone, I'm guessing it wasn't anything good."**

"**No, it wasn't." I sighed shakily. "Look, I don't wanna make things awkward between you guys, but…I really don't think he likes havin' me around all the time."**

"**Why would you say that?" Dean asked, placing his hand over my stomach.**

"**_He_ said that. He thinks he's losing you because of me."**

"**Well, that's stupid," Dean said quickly. "I can have you both and still be there for him just the same."**

"**Yeah -" I knew that, " - I don't think Sam sees it that way. I mean…the way he was talking…it was like he hated me or somethin'. But he was drinking so it doesn't mean anything, right. I mean, he probably won't even remember telling me these things. Right?"**

"**Maybe not, but you will," Dean said, voice hardening. "Drunk or not…I don't want him talkin' to you like that." He kissed my head tenderly. "I'll talk to him in the mornin'. I'll… If he doesn't understand why I need you around then that's _his_ problem."**

* * *

**The next morning I woke Dean up in a sort of unconventional way. It didn't take long. A couple kisses on his neck, a few nips on his shoulder, a hand massaging his chest and stomach.**

"**Mm…" he moaned as his eyes opened. "This is a very good wake up call."**

"**Isn't it?" I smiled coyly, yet still bit my lip shyly. I kissed his shoulder before making my way to his mouth. "Morning," I said before my lips met his in a slow, languid kiss. My hand traveled to his boxers - which were tented, by the way - and I rolled my fingers over the top. His muscles quivered and I smiled against him.**

**His hand tangled itself in my hair and massaged my scalp gently. It made my head tingle.**

**The tips of my fingers snuck their way under the waistband of his boxers and his hand tightened behind my head, pulling me closer. His other hand soothed over my back, down to my hips to the end of my shirt. Well, the shirt was actually his, but I'd pretty much taken it over, so…my shirt now.**

**Anyway, his hand slipped beneath the shirt and he got a little surprise - I wasn't wearing any underwear, so _yes_ I had planned this.**

**Dean groaned into my mouth and broke away, panting.**

"**You're tryin' to kill me, aren't you?" he quipped, letting his fingers explore.**

**Shivering from his ministrations, I grabbed his length and soon enough I had him naked and we were together. _Together_.**

**It seemed the only time I was content lately was when we were connected like this - body and soul. Our lives were so…strange and hectic that _this_ was sometimes the only way I could convince myself that this all wasn't a dream or some very vivid world I'd cooked up in my head.**

**We were both sitting up, me on top, with my legs around him and we moved together fluidly and our lips meshed against each other messily.**

**We rutted against each other lazily and I broke away from our kiss to breathe and his lips latched onto my neck, sucking marks into my skin that disappeared as soon as they showed up. I wished these marks would actually stay, though.**

**I scratched up and down his back with my fingernails, probably leaving angry red welts, but I didn't care, and Dean didn't seem to either.**

**We were making slow, lazy, Raining-On-Sunday, love. The speed was slow enough to keep me - both of us - on the edge, but it was also slow enough to make me insane with desire.**

**I gasped as our bodies drove together again, only harder this time. And then suddenly I was being flipped so Dean was on top and things sped up intensely. I arched beneath him, my legs still locked around him.**

**He panted against my shoulder and his hand squeezed against my thigh. I could tell he was really close.**

**Our breaths mingled as he found my lips again. We moaned into each others mouth as we continued our rhythm like our lives depended on it. My nails dug into his back again as I tightened around him and fire burned through my veins.**

**He whispered my name against my lips as pleasure shocked through me, originating from where our bodies interlocked. I groaned out things that were unintelligible even to me, but it didn't matter. Your mind has a tendency to shut down when you're feeling this good.**

**Dean thrusted a little harder and then I felt him pulse inside me, and he nipped on my shoulder while he came, growling my name in between bites.**

**I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling sweetly to myself. This had been the _best_ way to start the morning. Especially with what had gone on the night before.**

**Dean's head rested in the crook of my neck and I took this peaceful time to just take in the scent that was Dean. Leather, gunpowder, and some kind of soap. And I giggled - yes, actually _giggled_ - when I picked up the scent of _my_ shampoo on him. It was very faint so it was only because we spent so much time together that it was there - and so much time doing this.**

"**That's not your normal response," Dean said, rolling over onto his back. "What's funny?"**

"**What, you couldn't tell?" Ever since the whole _connecting_ thing, Dean could always tell what I was thinking when we were touching.**

"**Of course I could," Dean said. "I just wanted to know if you'd say it out loud."**

**I laughed softly, snuggling up to him. "Why would I when you already know?"**

**A few minutes later, after the peacefulness passed…Dean sighed, mock-thoughtfully.**

"**So…you just did this to get on my good side, right? So I'd yell at Sam?"**

"**Bite me," I said, and Dean actually followed me with his teeth and we both ended up tangled up in the other again, both of us grinning stupidly. "I didn't mean for real."**

"**I know." Dean smirked. "But you taste good."**

**I blushed, turning my head into his chest to hide my cheeks.**

**Relaxing a little I said, "You don't have to yell at him. But…just tell him what you told me last night. I mean…it hurt when he said those things to me. He only said them 'cause he was drinkin'. Who knows how long he's been holding it inside?"**

"**Yeah, but still…like I said last night, he shouldn't talk to you like that. You're pretty much here to stay, so he's just gonna have to get used to it."**

**Touched by the fact that Dean was willing to fight with Sam because of - _for_ - me, I kissed him firmly on the lips. This was sort of a big deal because Dean usually gave in to Sam with everything.**

"**I really, _really_ love you," I said, kissing him once more. "Ya know that?"**

"**I do know that," Dean said, smiling softly. "And…I love you too."**

**It sounded like it was hard for him to say it, but that was Dean for you. But he wouldn't have had to say it if he hadn't wanted to; I could see the love shining in his eyes every time he looked at me.**

_

* * *

_

**Dean didn't have to actually go see Sam because Sam came to us. He looked really…bad. Bloodshot eyes - it looked like he'd been crying again. It made me feel bad for him even though I was still hurt.**

**When his gaze caught mine, I looked away, however, because I could tell he remembered his - our? - conversation from the night before.**

"**Alyson…I am _so_ sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did."**

"**Yeah, you know what, you shouldn't have," Dean said. "I know you were hurting, but she's…she deserves more than that. What you did was disrespectful, and I don't want it happening again."**

**Sam looked surprised that Dean was chastising him. Surprised, but accepting. He understood that in this situation, Dean was a parent teaching a child a lesson, and Sam played the reprimanded child very well.**

"**It won't happen again," Sam said dejectedly. "I swear."**

"**Well…" Dean was shocked that this had seemingly gone so well. "Good…then my work is done. And I'm gonna take a shower."**

**Dean and I had gotten dressed earlier, so Sam didn't see anything inappropriate.**

"**Ya'll should just…talk," Dean said. "Work things out."**

"**Yeah, okay," Sam said quickly, and Dean went into the bathroom.**

**I still avoided his gaze even as the bed sunk in beside me when Sam sat down.**

"**If there's anything I can do…" he started, but trailed off.**

"**There isn't," I said, finally looking up at him. "You really hurt my feelings, Sam. I mean, I thought we were okay."**

"**We were - we _are_."**

"**Obviously not," I said softly. "I mean, you hate that I'm here."**

"**That's not true. I miss being the one Dean put first, but -"**

"**What are you talking about?" I whispered heatedly, looking towards the bathroom door. I didn't want Dean to hear too much because it might make things awkward between all of us. "Dean still puts you first. If you can't see that then you are blind. I mean, if it came right down to a choice between you and me, he'd pick you. Every time. So _don't_ make him choose," I said firmly.**

"**I wouldn't do that," Sam said. "I know you make him happy, and… Look, last night I was drunk. I don't really want you gone. I was just…I was hurting and I didn't care what I said. Okay? I don't hate you or…"**

"**Resent the fact that I'm with Dean?" I challenged him.**

"**I don't…_resent_ it, exactly. But it does hurt because I can't have what you guys have. Something always goes wrong." Sam sighed. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you and I'm sorry."**

**I looked at him closely and decided he was telling the truth. Sam wouldn't have deliberately hurt me if he'd been sober.**

"**Fine, but things have to change. No more jealous looks, no more having resentment at our happiness, and no more thinking you'll be alone forever."**

**Sam looked away. "But what if I am?"**

"**You'll never be alone while me and Dean are alive," I said firmly. "And the Yellow-Eyed demon won't be around forever. We'll find a way to kill him and move on with our lives, and you'll meet someone and be happy."**

**Sam's eyes glistened slightly. "After all this time, after finding out what's out there…how do you still have hope?"**

"**Because of you and Dean," I said honestly. "Because I know there's still good in the world, and because there are still things worth fighting for."**

* * *

**Sam hadn't only come to our room to apologize; he'd also been online this morning and had found something a little…strange. But maybe not supernatural.**

**Dean had gotten out of the shower already, so we were all here, letting Sam explain.**

**Some small-time lawyer guy - Robert Harris - had been killed. He'd been chained to a rock in the desert - Nevada - and his liver was missing - a bird had eaten it.**

"**That's gross," Dean said. "But it sounds like a job for the cops. Not us."**

"**Well, that's what I thought too," Sam said. "But the death sounded familiar to me."**

"**Serial killer?" I suggested.**

"**No." Sam smiled. "Mythologically speaking, it's how Prometheus died."**

"**Who?" Dean asked.**

"**Prometheus," I said. "He was a Titan in Greek mythology. Supposedly, he and his brother were the ones who made Man in the image of God…well, the _gods_ back then, anyway."**

"**And how do you know this?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah…how?" Sam asked.**

"**World History is a course in school now. You learn all about the ancient times and all. I think he was the one who brought the fire from Heaven so men could survive."**

"**Yeah, and then Jupiter - or Zeus - made woman and sent her here to punish men for accepting the _gift_ of fire, because it had been stolen."**

**Dean had been looking back and forth between me and Sam like we were freaks for knowing this stuff.**

"**Okay, Wikipedia, what about the dead guy? How does that relate to this?"**

"**We're getting there," Sam said.**

"**Yeah…um…anyway, the first woman was named Pandora."**

"**Pandora?" Dean said. "As in Pandora's box?"**

"**Yup - and contrary to popular belief, she wasn't evil. The box - or jar, actually - wasn't even hers. It belonged to Epimetheus - Prometheus' brother. She was just curious and she opened it."**

"**Yeah, yeah. I know this part," Dean said. "She released a bunch of nasty crap. Skip this and get to the good part."**

"**Okay, well…supposedly at the beginning of the world everything was perfect," Sam began animatedly. He always became excited when he explained things. He should've been a teacher. "It was called the Golden Age. There was no need for law because everyone did the right thing all the time and always told the truth. There was no violence, so they didn't have weapons. The earth provided everything humans needed, things grew on their own, humans didn't even have to work for it."**

"**Yeah, that age didn't exist," Dean said. "So…skip it."**

"**Well…okay," Sam said. "Or…no. It's relevant…just be patient."**

"**But I'm not good at that," Dean complained. "If I wanted to know this I'd go back to school."**

"**Okay…basically the Golden Age was the Garden of Eden era in Christianity," I said. "Most religions have the same concepts just with different names and places."**

"**Right," Sam agreed, getting back into it. "The next age was the Silver Age. Jupiter changed the seasons so that men had to go through hot and cold weather. Men had to cut trees down to build houses. Most people lived in caves, though. They had to plant crops now instead of the earth giving it to them automatically."**

"**The fall of Adam and Eve," I specified for Dean's benefit.**

"**The worst age was the Iron Age. War sprung up. No one could be trusted. People became greedy and mythology says that's when the gods abandoned the earth and all the people in it. Jupiter sent a flood."**

"**_The_ flood? Forty days and forty nights flood?" Dean asked.**

"**Yeah. Although in Greek and Roman mythology it doesn't specify how long it took."**

"**Okay…so humans got killed…what about that Titan guy?"**

"**Well…he was friendly with humans," Sam said. "Myth goes that he supposedly intervened so Jupiter wouldn't kill every human on the planet. Jupiter didn't like that he was so friendly with us humans. Jupiter had Prometheus chained to a rock where a vulture ate his liver, which healed as soon as it was eaten."**

"**So…if this were true…he'd still be suffering today?" Dean asked.**

"**Pretty much," I said. "The reason he's a big deal is because he could've ended his pain at any time if only he'd done what the gods wanted him to. Story goes that he didn't. So, yeah, in theory, he'd still be chained to a rock, having his liver eaten."**

"**By a vulture," Sam said emphatically. "Like this lawyer guy. They matched the marks with a bird."**

"**Okay, I admit it's weird, Sammy, but what could it be? I've never heard anything like it."**

"**I don't know," Sam admitted. "But I _need_ to work, okay? To take my mind off things. Besides…it's close to Vegas."**

"**Vegas?" Dean asked, suddenly interested. "Okay, let's go."**

* * *

"**So, anymore godlike deaths stand out?" Dean asked, packing his stuff in a bag.**

**Sam had brought his laptop into our room so he could research this thing. So far…nada.**

"**No, but it's not like I know every death in mythology. And there haven't been any weird accidents or anything at the law firm until now. Although there was a change in management recently. The old boss retired."**

"**Hm…maybe new management has something to do with it," I said. "Or the Senior Partners?"**

"**Senior Partners?" Sam asked. "Nah. There would've been trouble before now. But the new management…maybe. We'll see."**

**I began packing my stuff now and started voicing a concern. "Um, guys…if this is about myths coming true…what if people start turning into trees?"**

"**Come again?" Dean said, pausing from packing. "Really need an explanation here. Just without the history lesson."**

"**Okay, well, long story short…Apollo and Daphne - Apollo was a son of Jupiter and Daphne was the daughter of a river god - are an example of many. Apollo fell in love with Daphne, but she was basically too wild to be tamed. When Apollo caught her she was terrified and prayed to the gods to change her form so Apollo wouldn't love her anymore. They changed her into a tree."**

**Dean blinked a few times. "Yeah, but…that's not possible. I don't think we have to worry about that."**

"**Yeah, he's probably right," Sam said. "And even if it does happen…no one would say anything about it. Everyone would think they were nuts."**

"**Probably, yeah." I cracked a smile. "I was just wondering."**

* * *

**When we arrived in Vegas the first thing I noticed was the dryness in the air - which _duh_ because…deserts. The next thing I noticed was…The Strip wasn't all that nice during the day.**

"**Sammy, we have _got_ to stay here a while. We can have some fun," Dean said.**

"**Dude, no, if we stay here, we'll get caught or somethin'."**

"**Yeah," I said. "I'm goin' with Sam on this one. No gambling, no visiting the casinos at all unless we have to."**

"**Well, ya'll just suck the fun out of everything, don't you?" Dean responded good-naturedly. But I knew he actually understood where we were coming from and he wouldn't go anywhere that the case didn't take us.**

* * *

"**Oh, I'm so glad it's warm here," I said, tying my jacket around my waist. It wasn't summer weather, but it was at least 60 and it made me happy. I hated cold weather.**

"**Yeah, me too," Sam said.**

"**Well, I'm not," Dean put in. "We have to wear those stupid suits and it's friggin' hot in those things."**

**I shook my head. "Aw, poor baby. I could go in your place if you want."**

"**No, I'm good." Dean looked around - we were in Boulder City now. He was probably trying to find a reasonably priced motel. Or a restaurant. Maybe both.**

"**God, I'm hungry," he said. "What d'you guys want?"**

"**Food," I said smartly, and he mock-glared at me through the rearview mirror. "Hey, you asked."**

"**Uh-huh. Really, though, what do you want?"**

"**Our normal?"**

"**I was hoping you would say that."**

* * *

**Everything here was pricier than normal because we were close to Vegas, but it wasn't outrageous or anything like that. And the diner we were at still played rock music so we weren't in Backwards World. Yet, anyway.**

**I got a salad because I wasn't all that hungry. Sam got the same as me, and Dean got his usual heart attack on a bun.**

**The person that waited on us was a guy. He looked college age and he was cute in that adorable, baby-face way. His name was David and he was…overly friendly to me. Yeah. That's the way we'll put it.**

**At first it didn't bother me. Waiters used the terms 'Sweetie' and 'Honey' all the time and it never really meant anything, but this guy was flirting. Not to mention this guy stared at me way too much for it to not mean anything. I wasn't even the one who noticed the guy - his name was David - was staring at me. That was Dean.**

**From then on he pretty much kept an arm around me the whole time. He gave off a serious 'hands off' attitude, which I was okay with. I didn't really feel like fending off boys today.**

**I pretty much saw the guy's spirits dampen though. I didn't know why. There had to be other girls here that he could hang out with.**

* * *

**At the motel we decided to stay at, Sam actually _offered_ to let us have our own room, but we didn't accept. We had a case to do, and besides…Sam wouldn't be there the whole time.**

**What we were gonna be doing for the rest of the day was find out as much as we could about this Robert Harris guy. And then see if there were anymore weird deaths that maybe hadn't reached the papers.**

**So far, the only things we were sure of was that Robert had been a lawyer and he'd died.**

**In a weird way.**


	54. Vegas Pt Two

**Okay, updating again, obviously. This chapter is really sorta out there even for me. LOL. But it fits into the whole mythology thing. So hope you enjoy.**

**Vegas  
Part Two**

**After hours worth of research, the only thing we'd found out was that Robert Harris had a small family. A wife and a little four-year-old girl.**

**So we were now parked in front of a decent sized one-story house. It was yellowish - though not unpleasantly so - with white foundation. A woman was outside with a little girl. I assumed the woman was Mrs. Harris and the little girl, her daughter.**

**We were all in our business type clothes. We were doing the FBI thing - I was training again. Or if anyone asked, that's what I was doing, anyway. And also, my name was Nancy Hart, if anyone needed to know.**

**When we got out of the car we walked up to the pair and introduced ourselves. The woman greeted us warmly if not a little hesitantly, and she told us her name was Michelle and the little girl was Grace.**

**Michelle looked like she was at her wits end and the only reason she was holding it together was because of her little girl. Grace, however, seemed content with just playing with chalk on the driveway. She was only four; she probably didn't really understand what was happening right now. That daddy was never coming home again.**

"**Mrs. Harris, we really don't wanna bother you with this right now, " Sam began, "but we really need to ask you some questions."**

"**Sure, I understand," Michelle said. "Do you wanna come in?"**

"**If it's okay," Dean replied.**

"**Yeah. The police already know everything I do, though."**

"**Right. This is just fact-checking."**

"**Oh."**

**Michelle grabbed Grace gently and picked her up. "Come on, sweetie, we're goin' back inside for a while. We can come out later."**

"**Okay." The little girl was adorably agreeable.**

**When we got inside, Michelle led us to the living room. They had a very nice off-white furniture set. It was comfortable, too.**

"**Can I get you anything?" Michelle asked. "Um…lemonade, tea, coffee?"**

"**No, we're fine, thank you," Sam said politely. "We just need to ask a couple questions."**

**Michelle nodded, steeling herself for the worst. "Okay."**

"**Well, first off, did your husband have any enemies?" Dean asked. "Anyone who was maybe openly aggressive toward him?"**

"**No, my husband was…the nicest man you'd ever wanna meet. He was a family lawyer. Ya know, divorce cases and things like that. He always did what was best for the children."**

"**So he was a good lawyer? Nobody would've or could've been holding a grudge against him from his client list?"**

"**Not that I know of," Michelle said. "I mean, when kids were involved he tried to do joint custody every time, unless of course the situation called for something else. He was one of those guys who wanted to help everybody. He even did pro-bono cases."**

"**Was that unusual for his law firm?"**

**Michelle shrugged. "Some of them did it once in a while, but everyone knew that if they had financial difficulties to go to him and Robert would still help. The money never mattered to him."**

"**You said he did a bunch of cases for free…" I said. "Did that affect his job any? I mean, I know the law firm had recently switched to a new management. Were they concerned about the money?"**

**Michelle smiled sadly. "No, they loved him for it. They told him the publicity was brilliant. Him working free cases made clients think they really cared."**

**Grace crawled out of her mom's lap and went to the corner where a box of coloring books were. She pulled them out along with a box of crayons. She stayed with the box.**

"**Do you remember anything…strange in the days leading up to Robert's death?" Sam asked. "Was he acting any different, or did he say anything suspicious?"**

"**No." Michelle shook her head. "I know he was working on this emancipation case. Um…this boy, he wanted to get away from his parents. The boy - I don't know his name - said he took care of himself anyway. I think he's like fifteen or sixteen. He's got an older brother. That's all I know about the case. Robert was trying to build a case against the parents. He said he'd be able to, but then…"**

**Michelle's composure began to slip. "I just…I don't know who would be sick enough to do somethin' like that to someone." Her face contorted with pain. "Especially someone like Robert. He never hurt anyone."**

"**We're gonna find out," Sam said. "And they won't get away with it."**

**Michelle nodded, a hand coming up to rest over her mouth as she sobbed.**

**Grace had stopped coloring and had made her way back to her mom. She scooted onto her lap again.**

"**Mommy, it'll be okay." The little girl tried comforting as best as she knew how. With hugs and words.**

"**Mommy'll be fine, sweetie, just give me a minute."**

**We _all_ gave her a minute. And then we asked one last question.**

"**Is it possible for you to give us permission to copy his case files? I mean, we could get a warrant but it would take longer." Yeah, and also, we couldn't really get a warrant.**

"**Oh, um -" Michelle seemed surprised that we'd asked that. "Yeah, sure, just, um…wait here."**

**She left the room, Grace holding her hand, and went down the hall.**

"**God, poor woman," I said. "I don't know how she's still functioning."**

**Dean was staring after her. "Because she has to," he said softly. "Grace needs her to."**

**When Michelle came back she had one of those little keychain flash drives in her hand.**

"**Um…these are his most recent. It's got the one I told you about on it. I'll need it back in a few days so I can give it to the company. The password is Grace."**

"**Thank you," I said, standing up. "We are really sorry about your husband. He sounded like a great man. He didn't deserve what happened to him."**

* * *

**Back in the car, both Sam and Dean were quiet. Weirdly so. And they were sweating. I guess the suits did make them hot.**

"**You guys okay?"**

"**Doesn't the air feel thick to you?" Dean asked. "Like, hard to breathe?"**

"**No," I said. "Sam?"**

"**Yeah, a little."**

"**Well, whatever," Dean said. "We've gotta check those files out."**

**He turned the radio on and we started off to the motel. Halfway there we had a rainfall of birds. Literally. And they were all dead.**

**I didn't know what had happened at first. I heard a few thuds against the car, and Dean slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.**

**Dean's front window was cracked from a couple of them hitting the car before we'd had time to stop. After we were sure that our feathery friends weren't gonna do another Kamikaze attack on us, we got out of the car and looked around. On both sides of the road, and on the road itself, were hundred - thousands - of birds. Dead birds. Different kinds.**

"**Oh my God," I said, staring in wide-eyed shock.**

**There were other cars in front of us, too, that had stopped in the middle of the road. The drivers of those cars had gotten out too.**

"**What the hell?" Dean said. "What is this?"**

"**I dunno," Sam said. "But this is bigger than us."**

"**God, you sure know how to pick 'em, Sammy," Dean retorted. "What the hell have you gotten us into?"**

"**I don't like this. We should leave," I said. "This is like…I don't even know. But…we can't fix birds falling out of the sky."**

"**We need to get back to the motel," Dean said. "We'll decide what to do then."**

"**Um, leaving. Running away," I said firmly. "Fleeing for our lives. That's what we're doing."**

"**That's definitely an option. At least until we know what's goin' on," Dean said. "Until we can help."**

"**We should call Bobby," Sam said. "See if he might know what this is."**

"**If we stay…we're definitely gonna need him," I said. Though I was hoping we'd leave rather than stay.**

* * *

**It took almost an hour to get to the motel because we had to drive over the birds. It was a rough road. Not that I noticed much because I was deep in shock now. Out of all the things I'd seen…this had been the strangest. And the scariest.**

**Birds weren't supposed to just fall out of the sky. Not in this multitude.**

**_What_ was going on? And why was it happening?**

**I hadn't said anything since we'd gotten back in the car. Sam and Dean, though, had begun throwing theories back and forth between each other.**

**The only thing they could come up with was that maybe a god was pissed off and was punishing the town's people. They said maybe it was like a case they'd worked before I'd come into the picture, where a pagan god killed two people a year to keep the town up.**

"**And, so what? This is a plague?" I asked. "We can't stop that. They have to just run their course, right?"**

"**Well, actually, if that _is_ what it is," Sam began, "then as long as we get rid of whatever's holding the god here, then we can stop it."**

**I shook my head. "I don't understand. What could hold a god anywhere?"**

"**Okay, well, the last pagan god case we worked, the god worked through a scarecrow - it protected this apple tree. We destroyed the tree, and problem solved."**

"**Huh. Is that what's happening here? I mean, which god would wanna rule over Boulder City?"**

"**I don't know," Dean replied. "I'll leave that to College Boy."**

* * *

**At the motel, we made another discovery. The manager of the place we were staying at…her dog died. She was standing outside, crying, with her dog beside her. The woman was seriously flipping out. She said one minute the dog was fine and then the next…the dog just keeled over. It wasn't an old dog either.**

**Back in the room, I pretty much collapsed on the bed. I was exhausted from the case, and we hadn't really done anything yet.**

"**So, how much you wanna bet every other dog in Boulder City is dead, too?" Dean asked.**

"**It's probable," Sam responded. "Whatever this is, it's working on the animal population now."**

"**Oh, God, we're never gonna stop this," I said shakily, sitting back up. "This is way, _way_ beyond us."**

"**We can call Bobby, like Sam said. I mean, this thing seems to be getting worse and worse." Dean appeared calm on the outside, but he was probably tripping on the inside.**

**As for me? I was totally freaking out. Animals dropping dead for no apparent reason, people getting their livers removed while being chained to a rock…**

**I shook my head, sighing, and stood up. "I'm goin' to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute."**

**In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror. I was pale and I assumed it was from the pace of everything; it was all happening so fast. I ran water over my face to snap myself out of it.**

**When I cut the water off, however, I heard something weird. It was like a splashing sound. It was coming from the toilet, and like an idiot, I had to see what was there.**

**And…oh my God. Snakes - two or three of them - in the toilet. They must've come through the sewer line.**

**My first reaction was to scream - I sounded like someone was killing me. Second reaction, I jumped back, and ran out to the main room.**

"**There are snakes in the bathroom!" I shrieked. "Huge anaconda lookin' things. We're all gonna die. They're gonna bite us and we're gonna die."**

"**Hey, hey, calm down," Dean said, grabbing my shoulders.**

"**Don't tell me to calm down. There are snakes coming out of the toilet!"**

"**We'll get rid of 'em," Sam said. "Just don't freak out."**

"**I'll stop freaking out _after_ you get rid of 'em. I hate snakes, make 'em go away."**

**Sam went into the bathroom. I didn't know what he was gonna do against the snakes without getting bitten. He didn't even have a knife to cut their heads off with.**

**Sam didn't stay in the bathroom for long. He said the snakes had pretty much multiplied.**

"**We leave now, yes?" I asked. "We go to a snake free zone?"**

**I was holding onto Dean's arm so hard that I was probably cutting off his circulation.**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed. "Now we leave."**

* * *

**Outside wasn't much better. There were snakes there, too, in piles. We avoided them as much as we could.**

**There were other people out here, too. They were complaining to the manager about the snake problem. If anything else went wrong, we were gonna have a full scale riot on our hands.**

"**The whole town is goin' nuts," Dean said. "And I don't just mean the people."**

"**So we're going where now?" I asked. "Somewhere without the snakes, hopefully."**

"**We're going away from the snakes," Dean said. "Don't worry about -"**

**He broke off suddenly and I looked at him. "Don't worry about what?"**

**Dean was breathing heavily like he couldn't get enough air and his face was flushed.**

"**Dean?"**

**I momentarily forgot about the snakes and focused on Dean only. Was he getting sick? He couldn't be getting sick now, we were in the middle of a case.**

"**It's hot," Dean said. "And I can't breathe."**

"**Okay, well, let's get you in the car so you can sit down."**

**I looked at Sam for help, but found he looked the same as Dean. Out of breath. Okay, so I needed to get both of them in the car and away from here.**

"**I'm thirsty," Sam said. "Really thirsty."**

**Both the guys began removing their over-shirts and then, looking around, I noticed all the other men here were doing the same thing. Whatever was happening was only affecting the male population.**

**I saw Dean collapse, followed by Sam. My heart pretty much left me because I couldn't believe this was happening. This couldn't be happening.**

"**Dean!"**

**I fell to my knees beside him, and seeing that his eyes were closed, I cradled his head on my lap.**

"**Dean?" I caressed his face with my fingers. "Wake up. Please wake up."**

**I was vaguely aware that there were screams surrounding me from other people. All the men had collapsed at the same time. If the animals were an example, then this was probably a city-wide epidemic.**

**Neither Sam nor Dean were conscious, which probably meant the other men were in the same condition.**

**And I was just…at a loss here. Birds had fallen, dogs had died, snakes were coming out of the woodwork, and the men in this town had fallen unconscious.**

"**Guys, wake up!"**

**I noticed now that snakes were surrounding us. Two were slithering over Sam's leg.**

"**Ew, ew, ew," I said frantically and tried to concentrate enough to throw them away with my mind and it worked. Which was good, because I hadn't wanted to touch them at all.**

**I took a deep breath and forced myself to think. What was I supposed to do now? My instincts said to take them to the hospital, but the nearby hospitals would be in an uproar right now. The male doctors would've probably passed out, too, and they would've taken care of them first.**

"**Okay, I can do this."**

**I'd been trained to react well in situations like this - well, not _exactly_ like this, but still… Okay, so first thing's first…I made sure air could get to their lungs and made sure their pulses were strong, which they were for now.**

"**Okay, I will be right back, guys." I knew they were unconscious, but I was talking to them anyway. It made me feel better.**

**All the women who were here were beside the men they'd been with. Surprisingly enough, though, the manager of the motel wasn't worried about any man in particular. She seemed concerned with _everyone_.**

"**Excuse me, Miss," I said, stopping beside her. "I need help with the two guys I was with. I wanna get them to a hospital, but I can't lift them myself."**

"**I'll be right there, sweetie," she said.**

"**No, I really need your help _now_," I said - not rudely, but firmly. "See -" I drew her aside, "- my friends and I, we can make this stop. But I need to get them to a hospital so we can make them better, because I can't do it on my own."**

**The manager - I still didn't know her name - looked a little hesitant to help me now.**

"**What d'you mean stop it? _What_ is happening?"**

"**I will explain _if_ you help me."**

"**Okay," she said softly. "Okay. Yeah."**

**We hurried to the Impala and when we reached the guys I checked their pulses again. They were weak now.**

"**We have to hurry," I said. "We'll put 'em in the back. One on one side, one on the other. Okay?" The manager didn't answer. "Okay?"**

**I looked at her, wanting an answer and saw the woman seemed to be at a loss. I sighed. I didn't need this right now, but I needed her help.**

"**Hey," I said, touching her arm. "What's your name?" I had to shake her a little to get her to focus.**

"**Laurie," she answered. "What is going on? What…caused this?"**

**I shrugged slightly. "Honestly? I don't know. That's why I need you to help me, okay? My friends and I…this is what we do. We stop things like this. So…will you help me?"**

**She looked at me for a minute, sizing me up. And then finally she nodded.**

"**Thank you."**

**We picked Dean up first and slowly - very slowly - loaded him into the backseat. We leaned him against the right door, and then we did the same with Sam, only on the opposite side of the car.**

**After that, we were both pretty worn out and out of breath. God, I was gonna feel this for a week. And the guys were going on a diet after they woke up. Because they were waking up.**

"**Okay, Laurie, you should come with me. Get out of this town. Things are only gonna get worse."**

"**I don't even know your name," she said.**

"**It's Alyson," I replied somewhat impatiently. "Now, are you coming or not?"**

"**Yeah. Yeah, I'll come."**

* * *

"**Where are we going, anyway?" Laurie asked. "You never said."**

"**Away," I replied vaguely. "Maybe the next town over."**

**Laurie was in the backseat, between the guys. I'd made her the temporary care person while I was driving. She had to make sure the guys kept breathing. Also, she seemed more _here_ when she had something to do.**

"**Why is this happening?" she asked. "And how? I mean, I've heard of freak accidents, but this is…unbelievable. I'd never believe it happened if I hadn't seen it. And for it to only affect men, and all at once. I mean, what? Is it airborne? Or something in the water?"**

**I sighed softly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But what I said was true. Once I find out what's causing these things…I can stop it."**

"**Well, we need to hurry then, I mean, if things are gonna get worse like you said then…" she trailed off. "Ya know, suddenly I'm glad I never married."**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Yeah. Are you married to one of these guys?" Laurie asked sympathetically.**

"**Not married, but pretty darn close to."**

"**I'm sorry."**

"**Yeah, well, I'm gonna make them better, so don't be."**

* * *

**It took a _long_ time to get to the city limits what with the birds in the road and not to mention the cars. There had been several accidents - small and not so small - along the way that I'd had to go around. And then there had been the frantic women who I'd had to fight the urge to help. I'd wanted to help so bad, but every instinct told me that I had to get to the next city fast if I wanted to save Sam and Dean. And my instincts had never led me down the wrong path before, so they weren't gonna start now.**

**At the city limits, however, I encountered a problem. A weird one that actually made me do a double-take. There was a _thing_ there that had the body of a lion and the upper part of a woman.**

**What the hell? Was that actually a sphinx? No way, that was too weird, even for me.**

"**This isn't happening. This is _not_ happening," Laurie repeated over and over.**

"**I'm afraid it is."**

"**No," Laurie said stubbornly. "Things like this don't happen. They don't exist."**

"**Well, then I guess that makes the problem go away. The nightmare's over," I retorted bitingly. I didn't mean to be rude, but things were falling apart, and two of the people that I loved most in this world were unconscious in the backseat of the car and I knew that time was of the essence here. So I had a very good reason for not feeling that manners were important at the moment.**

"**There's no need to be rude."**

**Ignoring my female companion for the moment, I tried to find a way around the sphinx. It was in the middle of the road, totally blocking my path, and it was kinda huge.**

**If my memory served me right, the sphinx would ask me a riddle and if I got it right I'd be able to pass. However if I got it wrong, it would kill me.**

**Those were the conditions the sphinx explained to me at the side of the car. I considered just high-tailing it out of there while the thing asked the question, because there was very little chance I'd get the answer right.**

"**What animal is it that which in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?"**

**Really, this sounded vaguely familiar, but where had I heard it before? Knowing it had to have something to do with mythology, I mentally went through the files in my brain dealing with that.**

"**Oh! Oh! Man!" I exclaimed. "They start out on hands and knees, then they walk on two legs, then they use a cane."**

**Yay me for paying attention in Literature class. The sphinx seemed shocked by the easiness of my answer, and shamefaced, ran away.**

"**How did you guess that?" Laurie asked, amazed.**

"**Uh…okay, um, just remember you asked. The old stories about gods and goddesses are coming true. That was from Oedipus, which is actually derived from an actual legend. And I just happened to know that one."**

**Laurie shook her head in disbelief. "Why is this happening?" She seemed to be on repeat mode. "I mean, did we do something wrong?"**

"**I don't know why it's happening. But as I said, once I know what's goin' on, I can stop it. Before anyone else dies."**

* * *

**We were in Henderson now and I drove as fast as I could to the nearest hospital. When I got to the entrance I pretty much ran in, yelling for help. Two orderlies listened to my story - although the TV was on so they already knew about Boulder City. They'd actually sent the majority of their emergency crews to help out.**

**Once Sam and Dean were admitted, I wasn't allowed to see them right away. I explained they were brothers and I'd like them to share a room if possible.**

**It didn't take me long to realize that this waiting crap was for the dogs. One good thing, though, was that whatever was happening seemed to be centered on Boulder City. It wasn't happening here.**

**In the waiting room, I was pacing back and forth, a nervous wreck. My guys were in the hospital, and they might not wake up unless _I_ did something. But what?**

**What was I gonna do? I'd never worked a case alone. And their lives depended on it, along with countless others. So I couldn't just sit here all day waiting for something to change.**

"**Wait here," I told Laurie. "I'll be right outside the entrance, okay? They tell you _anything_ you come get me, okay?"**

"**Yeah, okay."**

**I felt stupid, telling her what to do. She was probably in her thirties, but it made me feel better at the moment, issuing orders, making plans to at least do _something_.**

**I went outside and fished my phone out of my pocket. I called Bobby first. He picked up on the first couple rings.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Bobby. Hey, it's Alyson. Have you seen the news lately?"**

"**No, why?"**

"**Put your TV on a news station, any of 'em. There's live coverage all over the place."**

"**Of what?"**

"**Boulder City, Nevada. It's pretty much goin' to hell."**

**There was a pause on the other line. "Okay, I've been huntin' way too long. That was just a sayin', right?"**

"**Maybe not," I said. "Just…everything's happening all at once and -" I broke off as my throat felt like it was closing off. I drew in a shaky breath. "And I don't know what to do."**

**I started pacing again. "I mean, first there were the birds and the dogs and the snakes. Now Sam and Dean - and every male here - is unconscious. And I don't know w-what's wrong with them, or how to help them."**

"**Okay, just calm down. Where are you?"**

"**Um…Henderson, Nevada. A town over from Boulder City."**

"**Okay, look, if I gun it, I can be there by midnight. One at the latest, okay?"**

"**Yeah…ye - no! Did you not hear me say that men are dropping like flies here?"**

"**You guys are family to me. I'm gonna come," Bobby replied stubbornly.**

"**Yeah, okay. Just skip Boulder City. Go around it. It's cursed or something."**

"**I hear ya. Don't worry about me. Just take care of the boys. I'll be there as fast as I can."**

"**Thank you."**

**Hanging up, I silently debated who to call next. There were only a few people who I trusted enough to help here. I could hear sirens in the distance and knew more patients would be here soon.**

**I went through the numbers on my phone and picked Ellen.**

"**Harvelle's," Ellen's voice came over the line.**

"**Hey, Ellen."**

"**Alyson? Haven't heard from you in…months."**

"**Yeah, I know." I sighed, wondering if I was getting ready to screw this up. "Look, um, I know how you feel about hunting, but I could really use Jo's and your help."**

"**With what, sweetie? And why Jo?"**

"**Um, ask Ash to check the news. We're in Nevada. You'll see why I need help. Bobby said he'd come, but…" I sighed again. "Sam and Dean are in the hospital."**

"**Why? What happened?" Genuine concern laced her voice.**

"**Look, I'll explain everything later, but please…come. I'm gonna need your help."**

"**I can come, but Jo -"**

"**Ellen, please, I'm gonna need you both."**

"**No, I understand that. But she's not here."**

"**What? Is she okay?"**

"**Last time I heard from her, yeah."**

"**What d'you mean?"**

"**Well, she left. After that hunt she did with you guys, she decided she wanted to keep doing it."**

"**Oh…oh, wow. I'm sorry." I bit my lip tentatively. "Well, Ellen…I'm gonna call her anyway, okay? Just to see where she's at and if she can get here. I'll, um…I'll pay for the plane ticket, just get here. Fast, okay?"**

"**Should I bring Ash?"**

"**Um…if you want. Just don't go into Boulder City. Try to coordinate your schedule with Bobby so he can pick you up. Kay? I can't leave the hospital until I know the guys are okay. Or at least 'til someone can watch 'em."**

"**I'll take care of Jo," Ellen said. "Just make sure those boys are okay."**

"**Yeah, I will. Thanks, Ellen."**

"**No problem, sweetie."**

* * *

**So far, nothing had changed and we'd been here for two hours. We had to keep asking for information, though, because the doctors were so busy they didn't have time to give updates.**

**Laurie was still with me - mostly because she said she had nowhere else to go.**

**I had been busy answering questions from the doctors for the last half-hour, but now I was in the waiting room again. I had Sam's laptop and Robert Harris' case files open. This whole thing had started with him; he had to have had something to do with this. Or at least one of his clients had.**

**Because things like this didn't _just_ happen. There was always a reason.**

**I was finally allowed in the guys room. Upon entering, though, I sorta wished I was anywhere else but here. Both the guys were so…lifeless. And they both had tubes down their throat. And they were hooked up to IV's.**

"**They're both having trouble breathing," the doctor explained. "The tubes are just precaution, to make sure the air way is clear."**

"**Are they gonna be okay?" I asked quietly.**

"**They…we're not sure. We don't know what's causing this, so…there's no honest way to tell. We've checked their blood work forwards and backwards. They don't have an infection…they have no disease…they're just in a coma."**

"**I can stay with them, right?"**

"**Sure," the doctor nodded. "As long as you like."**

"**Good."**

**The doctor left and I pulled up a chair beside Dean's bed and tried to get back to work. It was more difficult than it should've been.**

**I knew if I didn't figure this out Sam and Dean were more than likely gonna stay this way, along with the other men. And that was best case scenario. But it was _because_ they were this way that I couldn't concentrate. The only thing that seemed to matter was the regular beeping of the heard monitors in the room.**

**I touched Dean gently on the arm, memories coming back to me from when he'd been in the hospital before, when the reaper had been after him.**

"**Dean?" I reached out with my inner self, trying to connect to something that just wasn't there right now. "Can you hear me? Do you even know I'm here?"**

**I didn't get anything in return. Dean was really _out_. It was like he wasn't even here.**

"**Dean, you have to wake up. Okay? You can't do this to me. I can't do this without you." And I wasn't just talking about this case. I was talking in a more big picture sense…like…I couldn't _live_ without him.**

**My throat constricted again and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Like I'd told Bobby, I didn't know what to do now. I mean, yes, in theory, I _knew_ if Sam and Dean were awake we'd be finding out the connection between what was happening now and what happened to Robert Harris.**

**But they weren't awake and how could I do that and watch over my guys at the same time? I couldn't. I'd have to leave the hospital at some point, and I didn't think I was willing to do that just yet.**


	55. Vegas Pt Three

**angbethea: Hey, Ang...yeah, I know you keep emailing me wondering where I am, and I swear to you I've been emailing you back. I don't know why you're not getting them. Maybe your brainiac husband can find out. LOL. I've sent you I don't know how many emails, but every time you keep saying you haven't heard from me. Have you accidentally blocked me or something? Or...I know you said you tried moving your Barbara Box. LOL. Does that have anything to do with it?**

**Vegas  
Part Three**

**I finally steeled myself against what _might_ happen and focused on what I needed to do to help. I had tried falling asleep; I remembered the whole astral projection thing I'd done with Dean. It seemed like it had happened years ago when in fact it had only been a little over six months.**

**Dean would know to call for me if he _was_ in fact floating around somewhere, and I would come. We would be able to talk, and he'd be able to tell me what to do.**

**The only problem was…I couldn't sleep. And I was pretty sure it wouldn't work if I used a sedative.**

**So I was doing the only thing I _could_ do now, and that was research. I'd looked into the recent emancipation case of Robert's and realized I needed to talk to the kids. Maybe even the parents. But there was a problem there, too. The family lived in Boulder City, which meant only the mom and the daughter - I'd found out there was a younger sister of the two boys - would be awake.**

**Laurie was in the room with me - I'd said she was my aunt - and she even wanted to help if she could.**

"**So…what do we do now?" she asked. "I mean…you don't really think that case has anything to do with what's happening now. Do you?"**

"**I don't know." I really didn't. "All I know is this is the last thing he was working on before he was killed."**

"**Oh…and, uh…the plague? What about that?"**

"**Oh…" I said, mirroring her reaction. "Um, yeah. Couldn't find much, and nothing good."**

"**What?"**

"**Um…history calls it the plague of Athens. Mythology describes it as a plague sent by Juno, an angry goddess. Um…things happened the same way back then. The animals then the men. Uh…" I let out a shuddery breath. "Two-thirds of Athens population perished. Almost everyone who got sick died."**

**Laurie looked at the guys and then back at me sympathetically.**

"**_Don't_. Don't look at me that way. They're not…I'm not gonna let them die." I swallowed convulsively. "I'm gonna figure this out."**

* * *

**Bobby, Jo, and Ellen showed up around three that morning. Ash hadn't come, Ellen hadn't even asked him. Bobby said that they'd have been here sooner but Jo and Ellen's planes had arrived at different times. Laurie stayed long enough to meet everyone and then she went down to the cafeteria.**

**After seeing the state Sam and Dean were in, the three wanted to know what was going on…so I told them. There was disbelieving silences…that's how _strange_ this was.**

"**Well, do you know what's causin' it?" Bobby asked.**

"**No. The guys thought maybe it was a god, but I don't know. If we could pin down which god in mythology could do this then we could start there, but I just don't think that's what this is."**

"**Why not?" Jo asked.**

"**Because gods usually want sacrifices. They don't just destroy things for destruction's sake."**

"**So…all the men just got sick at the same time?" Ellen asked.**

"**Yeah, um…at first they said it was hot and they couldn't breathe. Uh, then it got worse and they collapsed."**

"**Okay, so, what're you planning on doin'?"**

**I told them about Robert Harris' case - his most recent one.**

"**There's a family in Boulder City. Um…the mom isn't around a lot and the dad works. Surprisingly enough, he's a lawyer. The kids wanted to be free. Um, there's an older brother David Sans, the middle child is Matthew, and a younger sister Carol-Anne. David has his own apartment - he works…somewhere. I'm not sure where. He goes to college, pays his own way. Then Matt, he works, too, at the local animal shelter. He's in high school. Carol-Anne, she's ten. Good grades, advanced placement."**

"**You think the father had something to do with this?" Jo asked.**

"**Mm…possible, but I looked into his past. He wasn't a bad guy, _per se_, he just wasn't a family man. The only connection was that he worked at the same law firm as Robert."**

"**In Boulder City? Which means we can't talk to him," Bobby said. "Damn it."**

"**I know. The only two we could talk to is the mom and the daughter."**

**I looked at Jo. The last time we'd been around each other she'd blamed Dean for her dad's death - or that's basically what she'd done, anyway. We'd definitely left things in a bad place. And I hadn't talked to her since.**

"**Okay, so I was thinkin' we'd go now," I said. "The files say that the kids mom is never around so…Carol-Anne might be alone."**

"**Nah, she's old enough to know to call the cops," Bobby said. "They probably have her in protective custody."**

**I sighed. "Great. That's just…great."**

"**Yeah," Bobby agreed. "We should still check the house, though."**

"**Yeah, planning on it," I said. "Someone should stay here with the guys." I looked pointedly at Bobby. "Since you're a guy -"**

"**No way," Bobby interrupted. "I'm comin' with you."**

"**Bobby, you can't. What're we gonna do if what happened to Sam and Dean happens to you?"**

"**She's right, Bobby," Ellen said. "One of us should stay."**

**Bobby didn't look happy, but he wasn't unreasonable.**

"**Fine, but you keep me updated. Okay?"**

"**Yeah, you know we will."**

* * *

**Ellen, Jo, and I were now on our way to the Sans house. Ellen had borrowed Bobby's car just in case we needed to do more than one thing at once, which we probably would.**

**Jo had chosen to ride with me, which was pretty much the most awkward car ride ever. Even when we were talking it was awkward.**

"**So…Ellen said you were hunting still, that you'd left."**

"**Yeah," Jo said. "She said that I couldn't hunt, not while I lived under roof. So I left."**

"**But you've been okay, I take it?"**

"**Yeah, more or less." Jo chuckled slightly. "It's not as easy, though, doin' things myself. That's why I came."**

"**Well, I'm glad you did, really. I kinda went off on you last time."**

"**Nah, I deserved it. I was being a brat."**

**And wow, she'd changed. She never would've admitted that before.**

"**So, how 'bout we find out what's goin' on before you go nuts."**

"**Sounds like a plan."**

* * *

**At the Sans house we had to pick the lock because, like Bobby had said it would be, the house was empty. In one way it was good; we could search the house freely. But in another way it was bad because we couldn't talk to anyone.**

**The house had two stories so Ellen and Jo took the top floor, while I stayed downstairs. The downstairs was mostly clean, except for the kitchen. The sink was cluttered - it looked like dishes had fallen out of a cabinet. Maybe one of the brothers - Matthew probably - had been getting ready to cook before he'd collapsed.**

**I looked around the living room; there was hardly anything that would make me think a family lived here. There was only one family photo and the mom wasn't in it.**

**I went down a hallway, past the kitchen, and saw a door that was halfway open. It was an office; probably the dad's. There were a bunch of books on a shelf; they were all about law and maybe a few about medical stuff. All normal lawyer stuff.**

"**Hey, uh, think we found something," Jo's voice rang through the doorway.**

"**What?" I said, turning around quickly. Both Ellen and Jo were there. "What'd you find?"**

"**This."**

**She handed me a book and an electric zing went through me. Well, they'd _definitely_ found something.**

**The book was hard-covered with brown leather. It was odd, but the pages seemed worn yet the cover seemed brand new. On the front cover there were words but they weren't in English. Latin, maybe? Or…the theme lately seemed to lean toward the Greeks. Yet it looked Latin.**

"**So, uh…how's your Latin?" I asked sheepishly. "Because mine sucks."**

**Jo scrunched up her nose. "Latin is one of those dead languages I wish I knew, but I don't. I can get as far as an exorcism and that's about it."**

"**Great. So we have no way to read this. Where'd you find it?"**

"**It looked like a boy's room," Ellen answered. "Matt's, probably."**

"**Yeah, probably. Uh, was there anything in there that screamed 'I'm a psycho'?"**

"**No, just your normal every day boy stuff," Jo said. "Except that."**

"**Hm."**

**I flipped the book open hesitantly, not knowing if it would cause something to happen or not. The whole thing was in a different language but there were pictures. One of Prometheus chained to a rock with a vulture on him.**

"**Yeah, this is definitely what we're looking for." I closed the book again. "I don't know how or why, but this is it."**

"**I don't think we should take that with us," Ellen said. "The plague might go with it."**

"**Yeah, true…but -"**

**I was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. I looked at Jo and Ellen, motioning for them to stay here for a minute. I went to the living room quietly and spotted - damn - two cops. And a little girl, whom I assumed was Carol-Anne.**

**Good thing I'd been using my FBI thing earlier; I still had it on me. I showed them my ID. They were skeptical and I didn't blame them.**

"**You're a little young for FBI."**

"**Yeah, I know. I was training with two guys and then…well, they're in the hospital now. I'm tryin' to find out why while workin' another case, too." I looked at the little girl. "You're Carol-Anne, right?"**

"**Yes," she said softly, sadly. "Are you here to take me away?"**

"**Take you away? Why would I do that?"**

"**While her brothers are in the hospital, she should go into foster care. She won't be properly cared for at the hospital and we have too much to do already without tagging her along for the ride. We can't contact her father or mother -"**

"**I'll take care of her," I offered.**

"**I don't think that's a good idea, ma'am," one of the officers said.**

"**Oh, come on. Who else are you gonna find to do it? Everyone else is gonna be worried about their own families. They won't be able to take care of her. I'll do it."**

"**Fine. We'll need you to sign some things."**

"**Okay. _I'll_ need you to get her brothers transferred to the hospital in Henderson."**

"**We'll see what we can do."**

"**No, you'll get it done," I said authoritatively. "Do you need to see my ID again?"**

"**No, ma'am, and we'll get it done within two hours."**

"**Thank you."**

* * *

**With Carol-Anne in my care now, and the cops gone, I squatted down to be eye-level with the child.**

"**Hi."**

**She seemed hesitant to talk to me since I'd been so hard on the officers.**

**I smiled softly. "I'm not really that mean, I just needed them to do what I wanted. What I needed." I grabbed her hand. "I won't be mean to you. But I do need to introduce you to some people."**

"**More cops?"**

**I laughed silently. "No. No more cops. Um, a few friends of mine." I squeezed her hand gently. "And maybe you can help me with somethin'."**

"**Me? What can I do? I'm just a kid."**

"**Hey, don't sell yourself short. I hear you're pretty smart."**

**I went back into the office where Jo and Ellen were waiting. Ellen was on the phone - I assumed with either Ash or Bobby. Jo looked at the little girl and I could tell she was wondering how we were gonna do our job while watching over her.**

"**Don't worry," I said. "Really. We're gonna take her to the hospital with her brothers after they're transferred. Then one of you guys will stay with her."**

"**Sweetie, we have a problem," Ellen said, hanging up, and I didn't know if she was talking to me or her daughter. "That was Bobby. He said the first…the first man just died."**

**I sighed and looked heavenward. "Okay, well, then…we're gonna go back to the hospital with the book. Bobby, at least, can read it. He'll be able to tell us what to do."**

"**Well, what if the location of the book has to do with where it happens," Jo said. "We could hurt a bunch of innocent people."**

"**I know," I said quietly. "But…I can't lose them. If someone else dies because of me then…I'll have to deal with that later."**

* * *

**Carol-Anne, when confronted with the book, did not react well at all. She was scared of it.**

"**What is it?" I asked. "It's just a book." Or to her it should've been, anyway.**

"**That is _not_ just a book," Carol-Anne said. "But you know that already or you wouldn't be taking it with you."**

"**Right." Smart kid.**

"**What do you know about this book?" Ellen asked.**

"**I _told_ Matt not to read it, but he wouldn't listen."**

"**Why'd you tell him not to read it?"**

"**That's a very bad book. It makes bad things happen." She looked at the book suspiciously. "I don't know why, but ever since the first time Matt read from it, he changed, became…withdrawn and angry. And David became mean and violent."**

**Sometimes objects could possess people. Maybe the book was cursed…or the book itself was possessed. And maybe Carol-Anne knew something was off about it because she was so young. Sometimes the innocence that comes with childhood would react to the darkness around them.**

"**Where did your brother get this book?"**

"**I don't know. He and David were always buying weird stuff like that. But he started reading it about two weeks ago. He said he was doing a 'school project'."**

"**Hm." School project, my ass.**

* * *

**Back at the hospital I checked to see if Matt or David Sans had been admitted yet. They hadn't, so we took Carol-Anne with us.**

**Back in the room, Bobby was sitting there restlessly, messing with Sam's laptop. He was cussing at it, actually. And if our situation hadn't been so dire, I'd have probably thought it was funny.**

"**I hate these stupid things," Bobby said, seeing us.**

"**Yeah, well…the computer's safer," I quipped gently, handing him the book. "Don't read that out loud."**

"**I'm not gonna go shoutin' out in a different language." Bobby looked at me like I should know him better than that.**

"**I was just sayin'." I looked at Sam and Dean in the two beds. "Has there been any change?"**

"**No. Which is good, I guess, considering…"**

**Considering…they could be dead.**

"**How fast do you think you could read that?" I asked, gesturing to the book. "I mean, I know it's big, but…"**

"**I can skim it pretty quick. Look for a way to reverse the effects, keep this from happenin' again."**

"**Yeah, good. Um…we should destroy the book after."**

"**Yeah. Gotta find a way, first."**

* * *

"**Okay, I got something," Bobby said. "Not a solution, but I got the problem. In order for this book to work, the incantation in the front has to be read out loud. My guess is the stupid boy didn't know that until _after_ he read it."**

"**So did he kill Mr. Harris?" Ellen asked. "Or was it just somehow acted out?"**

"**He didn't kill anyone, not directly. And probably not on purpose. See, the reader doesn't choose the victims, the book does."**

"**Great…how does the book work?" I asked. "Does he have to read the myth out loud, too? For that one to take place, I mean?"**

"**Nah. Once the incantation is spoken, the book goes at it's own pace." Bobby turned the page carefully. "The book picks the people who fit the description of the ones in the myths. Prometheus and Robert Harris. The men and the plague."**

"**Yeah, why did it affect only men?" Jo asked curiously. "I mean, a real actual plague would affect everyone, right?"**

"**Well, according to history it did affect everyone, but…myth-wise it only affected the men. Athens was in the middle of a war and the men became ill. Women probably got sick, too, but the myth just doesn't say it. Things weren't like they are today. They were pretty much frowned upon."**

"**Does it say how they got better?" I asked softly, looking at Dean and then at Sam. "I mean, I know they all didn't die, so…"**

"**The sickness just wore off. The strong survived…woke up and was fine."**

"**Okay, well…" I didn't know what else to say. I had hoped there was maybe another incantation to reverse things but it wasn't working that way.**

**And of course it wasn't…my life was never that easy.**

* * *

**Carol-Anne's brothers had been transferred near sunrise and Ellen and I were walking the girl to their room. Ellen was gonna stay with her while Jo and I did…whatever it was we needed to do.**

"**They're gonna be okay," Ellen said suddenly, and I knew she was talking to me. "You'll see."**

**Ever since Bobby had said all we could do to help Sam and Dean was to wait it out, I'd pretty much withdrawn into myself. I hadn't spoken much. I was thinking way too much about not being able to help.**

"**You know that, don't you?" Ellen said.**

**It took me about a minute to put her words together in my head, and then I said, "No. I keep saying it over and over…doesn't make it true."**

**We arrived at Carol-Anne's brothers' room. Surprisingly, I knew one of them. David, the guy from the diner.**

"**This guy hit on me yesterday," I said out loud. "He works at a diner in Boulder City."**

"**You know him?" Ellen asked curiously.**

"**Well, no…I didn't even talk to him. Uh, he was just our waiter and he took an interest in me."**

**A roll of thunder boomed through the hospital and I jumped slightly. That had been random…and weird. It had just come out of nowhere.**

"**Okay…so, here you guys are," I said awkwardly. "I'm gonna go."**

**I began walking back to the room, but halted when lightning flashed outside. Was it calling for a storm? Or something…or was it connected to the book?**

**The next time it thundered, the building vibrated…which couldn't possibly be normal, right? Then even as the rumbling stopped, the earth continued shaking.**

**Things around me started falling over and even I was shaking - from the tremors or from the fear and shock, I wasn't sure. Trays with medicine and other things toppled over and I saw as people started freaking out. Hell, _I_ started freaking out.**

**I'd lived in California my whole life - before hunting, anyway - and I'd never been in an earthquake. God, I hoped the building didn't collapse.**

**I was close enough to the guys room that I got there relatively safely. Scared, but safe.**

**Bobby was leaning in between the doorway and I leaned on the other side. He was holding the book against his chest and it occurred to me that this was my fault. I'd insisted on bringing the stupid thing here, and now…it had caused an earthquake. This couldn't have just been…a random freak accident. Whatever happened now…whoever got hurt now…that would be blood on _my _hands.**

"**Where's Jo?" I asked - or shouted, really. I had just realized she wasn't in the room.**

"**She went to get a drink," Bobby said.**

**About fifteen seconds later, the trembling stopped and time stood still. I took a few shaky breaths and walked into the room, walking toward the bed. The guys still looked the same, only paler.**

"**God," I said, tears filling my eyes. "What am I gonna do?"**

"**We," Bobby, touching my shoulder. "_We_ are gonna fix this."**

"**How?" I asked, hushed. "_How_ are we gonna fix this?"**

"**There's a way. A ritual, it's all explained in the book."**

**I looked at Bobby, feeling real, _actual_ hope in my heart for the first time in what seemed like forever.**

"**We're gonna need a few things."**

"**What?" I asked, and I knew it came across as impatient, but, I mean, come on…I'd been wanting to help my guys for…however long they'd been unconscious.**

"**Well…Matt's blood, for one thing."**

"**Blood? How much?"**

"**Uh, maybe a bowl full. We have to mix his blood with other stuff and set fire to it. It'll reverse the…whatever this is. It won't bring anybody back to life, but the people who are still alive will wake up."**

"**Okay…okay, blood. We can get that. Um, what else?"**

"**The four elements."**

"**What?" I asked. "Why?"**

"**Uh…I'm not sure, it's just what the book says. And…your blood and mine…and the hardest part…Matt himself has to be there. There's a symbol that has to be drawn, he has to lay on it with the book touching him."**

"**Okay, that part makes sense, but why our blood?"**

"**Well, we're the ones who're gonna be performing the ritual. We've gotta be connected to it somehow."**

"**Ew," I said. "Why's it always blood? Why can't it be, like, a hair or something?"**

"**Blood is life. It's the strongest thing to use for magic." Bobby sighed. "Now here's the tricky part."**

"**Oh God, what?"**

"**There's some sort of…test. The book isn't specific, but there's some sort of…exchange or something. It says something about an exchange."**

"**But it's not specific about what?"**

"**No, sorry."**

**I sighed. I had already made the decision - there wasn't a choice, really. There never had been.**

"**Okay, well. I don't care. We have to do this, whatever it takes."**

* * *

**After talking things out with Bobby, I went in search of Jo. After the earthquake, she hadn't come back and I was worried. Not just about her, but about everything.**

**We were gonna do the ritual thing - we had to, it wasn't an option _not_ to do it. The question had never been whether or not we were gonna do the ritual; the question was what the price was gonna be to fix things. Because there was always a price. It was just I didn't care what it was right now. I just wanted my guys well again.**

**I came across Jo near the soda machine. She wasn't hurt, but she was helping a woman who seemed to have hurt her head. She was unconscious, and blood was coming from her temple.**

"**Hey," I said, announcing my presence. "Bobby found a way to stop everything."**

"**Good. Help me move her."**

"**Um…move," I requested softly.**

**Jo looked confused, but she did as I'd asked and I knelt beside the woman, whom I now realized was Laurie. I hadn't really been paying attention before.**

**I looked at Jo and gently told her what I was about to do might freak her out.**

**I placed my fingers on Laurie's head and after making sure no one was around, let my healing power take affect. My hand glowed and warmth radiated from my finger tips as I watched as Laurie's wound sealed itself.**

**I looked at Jo again, hoping to see understanding or at the very least…acceptance. There was confusion, mostly. Confusion was okay. I understood confusion.**

"**How…did you do that?"**

"**Uh, can I…" I trailed off as Laurie started mumbling. "I'll explain after we stop these things from happening, okay?"**

**I'd trusted her enough to ask her to help me with this, so she deserved to know.**

"**Yeah, okay, but I'm holdin' you to that."**

**I nodded, and then tried to coax Laurie awake.**

"**Mm…" She moved her hand to her head. "What happened? Where am I?"**

"**You're at the hospital…" I said. "Don't you remember?"**

**She sat up slowly and Jo and I helped her stand.**

"**Oh, I remember. I was hoping it was all a dream."**

"**Sorry," I said. "No such luck, but we can stop it now."**

"**You can?" Laurie asked softly, hopefully.**

"**Yeah, it'll take a little while, but we're gonna stop it." I grabbed her arm. "You good to move?"**

"**Yeah." She moved her hand through her hair. "I could've sworn I hit my head. There's blood, but no wound."**

"**Oh, I know, it was weird," Jo said, "but that's how I found you."**

**I smiled gratefully at Jo and then turned my attention back to Laurie. "You're gonna have to watch the guys for me. Both of you -" I looked at Jo, "- Um…Ellen and Carol-Anne will be with you guys, too. We're gonna need the other room for what we need to do."**

* * *

**Back at the room, Bobby said he needed to go get a few things at the store if he could drive, because of the earthquake.**

"**Yeah, well, be careful. And hurry."**

"**You don't have to tell me twice."**

**After he left, Jo stepped out. She said she'd be back in a minute, and she took Laurie with her. I was alone in the room with the guys now, and I felt my face scrunch up with the unreleased pain.**

**I was standing by Dean's bed and I leaned over him, reaching out to caress his face.**

"**Hey, Dean. I, uh, wish I could say I've been here the whole time, but I haven't." I swallowed around my tears. "God, everything's bad here, and I…don't know if you can hear me, but Bobby's found a way to stop this. So we're gonna bring you back. You and Sam. I don't know how long it'll take, but…just hold on, okay?"**

**I let out a shaky breath. "Bobby said there has to be an exchange and I don't exactly know what it is yet, but whatever it is…" I trailed off. "I'm gonna bring you back."**

* * *

**An hour later, Bobby and I were in Matt and David's room. As planned, Jo, Laurie, Ellen, and Carol-Anne were in the other room while we were here.**

**We hadn't actually started the ritual yet, we were just preparing. Bobby had had to buy this weird looking sand stuff - I didn't know what it was for, exactly, but it was blue. It was how we outlined the design on the floor.**

**Speaking of the floor…Matt was on it. We'd closed the door, but I didn't think we'd be bothered. There were too many other problems for the doctors to deal with.**

**I'd cut a mark into Matt's forearm and pushed at it enough to get a small bowl full of his blood. Then we added dirt - for earth - and water. The air took care of itself and then Bobby added this orange powder that he said would help ignite the mixture. Fire would be the fourth element.**

"**Okay, now our blood," Bobby said, using knife to slice his palm. "A few drops'll do."**

**I followed suit, slicing my palm, too. I flinched slightly, but then felt myself heal. I handed Bobby the knife and healed his hand. I'd never healed him before and he was a little surprised.**

"**Okay. Um…what now?" I asked.**

"**We make sure Matt is touching the book," Bobby said. "I'll chant while you perform the ritual. Whenever I pause, sprinkle a little of the mixture into the circle."**

"**Okay. All systems go," I quipped.**

**I placed the book on Matt's chest and tried my best not to disturb the circle. The doctor had said Matt had been showing signs of improvement, so they'd removed his breathing tube, I just hoped he didn't stop breathing because of this.**

**Bobby started reciting whatever he'd memorized and I started sprinkling the stuff into the circle whenever he stopped. Everything was good for the first three sprinkles and then on the fourth it felt as if I were only hearing him from a distance. Bobby stopped speaking and lit a match, dropping it in the bowl I was holding.**

**I swayed dizzily, holding out the bowl for him to take as it caught fire. He set it outside the circle and then suddenly…things went black.**

Hey, people. I updated again, obviously. LOL. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I've mostly written out the next chapter and it will most likely be on here within a couple days. :) Anyway, I know this story line is a little out there, but, as always...let me know what you think.


	56. Vegas Pt Four

**Okay, so...this is the last installment in this case. I'm not sure which episode I want to do next. I wanted to try doing the Folsom Prison Blues and Aly could like help from the outside, but I wasn't sure exactly if I should do that one because they're in prison, ya know? And it's Aly's point of view and it would get kind of monotonous. So...yeah...I'll decide that later I guess. Enjoy!**

**Vegas  
Part Four**

**I awoke in semi-darkness and I was on the hard ground. Hard and dry and…ashy? I stood up, disoriented, and looked around. I was in a desert…only it wasn't a desert. Not a normal one, anyway. There were gaps everywhere from which flames arose. The ground was shaking here, though I didn't shake along with it. Weird noises were coming from the gaps - like gurgling burping noises.**

**A strange, menacing howling filled the area and I froze. I'd heard those noises before. I was hearing hellhounds. In Greek mythology, they guarded the gates of hell.**

"**What was that?" a voice asked and I turned to see Matt on the ground. "Where am I?"**

"**Um…" I didn't think answering honestly was the best way to go here. "I don't know."**

"**Hell…is this hell?"**

"**I don't know," I answered again.**

"**Who are you?"**

"**I'm Alyson," I replied, relieved that I could answer at least one question. "I'm…I don't know why we're here."**

**Were we dead? Had Bobby and I screwed the ritual up? Or…oh, God, what if this was the exchange the book had talked about? Or maybe this was just a test. Bobby had said something about a test, too.**

"**Alyson Daniels, you should not be here," another, unfamiliar, voice said. "These are the Infernal Regions. These are not meant for you."**

**The voice belonged to a man, whom I saw was in his forties - or he looked it, anyway. He wasn't…human. I could tell by his eyes and his voice. Both were blank-ish. There was a light of curiosity there in both, but that was it.**

"**I didn't come here on purpose," I said indignantly, and then decided I shouldn't have to defend myself against someone I didn't know. "Who are you?"**

"**Fate. Destiny. You'll know me as Manu."**

**Manu… The thing that had brought Jack back to life. Had Jack been here? Where was here, anyway? He - it? - had said something about the Infernal Regions, which meant…I was in hell.**

"**The threshold of hell, actually," Manu said as if he'd read my mind, which he probably had. "This is the test Robert Singer told you about."**

"**And you're here because?"**

"**You need help," he said in a clipped tone. "A tour guide."**

"**Yeah, and what's the catch?" I asked suspiciously.**

"**Nothing. You're not meant to be here, I'm here to get you out." He turned and began walking, and I had no choice but to follow.**

**We passed by groups of people and Manu named each group. One was suffering from grief and he called them Griefs.**

"**What, they get their own personal form of hell?" I asked, morbidly curious.**

"**Yes. That's what the Greeks thought Hell was. What you make of it. Hell could only break you as far as you thought you deserved to be broken."**

**We passed by another group who he called Cares. What, did they care too much and get nothing in return? There were people here who suffered from perpetual Disease and Age, Fear, and Hunger. Each had it's own group. The sick would never know the sweet release of Death. The old would never again be young. The scared would never again know peace, and the hungry would never have enough to eat.**

**Then there was Toil - they would never know rest. And Poverty, who would never have enough money. And Death - they relived death over and over in hundreds of horrible ways.**

**Next we came to an area and, realizing Matt was still with us, I looked his way. He seemed frightened, and I wondered why he'd ever read from the book.**

"**Why'd you do it?" I asked softly. "I mean, did you know what would happen?"**

"**Did I know the book had a mind of its own?" Matt seethed. "No. Okay, books are not supposed to think for themselves."**

**I suddenly heard wailing as if from a small child and I stopped. "Is that…a baby?"**

**Babies didn't come to hell.**

"**I told you…we're not in hell, we're on the threshold of hell. You would call it limbo. These children died while coming into the world. The Greeks believed those children were damned. Just like people who died while under false charges. They wait while they are evaluated.**

**There were groans filling the air now. The creaking of iron, and the clanking of chains. We were getting close now. Not only could I hear things, but I could feel them as well now.**

"**Okay, so what's this test you were talking about? What do I have to do?"**

"**Only one of you can leave," Manu said, and actual regret filled his voice. "Neither of you are meant to be here, but only one can leave and return to life."**

"**What? No." That was stupid.**

"**I knew you would never consent to that, but…it's not a decision you can make. There's to be a fight…neither can just give up or forfeit, it doesn't work that way."**

"**Are you saying we have to fight to the death?" Matt asked fearfully.**

"**Of sorts. Only you won't be fighting each other. Whoever lasts the longest…will survive."**

**Oh, why didn't I like the sound of this? This was stupid. And what were we gonna have to fight? Demons? Some other kind of creature?**

**And, ya know, a better person than me would've at least offered to be the one to stay, but I just…couldn't. Even if I'd be taken somewhere other than this, I didn't wanna die.**

**I couldn't believe this was happening. This was…horrible. Either I had to stay or Matt did. And, yeah, Matt had been the cause of this whole thing, but he hadn't meant to. And he didn't deserve to die. But to stop everything happening in _my_ world an exchange had to be made. I suddenly wondered if I'd be able to protect Matt along with myself, find a way to save both of us.**

"**There are things here that would love to sink their teeth into you," Manu said pointedly at me. "And I mean that very literally. You'll be their main target."**

"**Oh, that's a comfort," I said, my voice catching nervously.**

"**And we're here," Manu said.**

**_Here_ was a cave and a cliff. The cliff was jagged and, looking down, all I could see were flames.**

"**They'll try to push you in," Manu said.**

"**They?" Matt said. "Who's they?"**

"**Demons. You'll need these."**

**Manu produced two almost-swords. They were bigger than knives, yet smaller than swords.**

"**Do you know how to use these?" Manu asked patiently.**

**I rolled my eyes _im_patiently. "Yeah, you stick the pointy side in the other guy."**

"**Yeah, that's pretty much all I know," Matt replied, taking one of the knives while I took the other.**

**In the next instant, the demons appeared out of the cave. These weren't normal demons. These were my height, and they were scaly. Green-and-brownish looking. And they had at least two hundred teeth each and an oversized mouth. All the better to eat us with.**

"**You can't heal here," Manu said. "Be careful."**

"**Yeah, okay." I turned to Matt. "Stay away from their teeth."**

**Looking at the creatures, I pushed away my fear and the paralysis that went with it. I was gonna die, I knew that now. I just needed to accept it.**

**The smell of burnt flesh made its way to my nose and I recoiled slightly. It was horrible.**

**I looked at Matt and realized he was frozen in fear. Not that I blamed him.**

"**Hey, snap out of it. I need you here."**

**I steeled myself against what I knew was gonna be my last fight. It made me angry. It made me wanna kill these things because my life sucked at the moment.**

**All the demons were big, with broad shoulders - they were vaguely man-shaped and I wondered how they would fight. It didn't look like they had any weapons aside from their teeth.**

**Three of the demons - there were five - launched themselves at me, surrounding me on three sides. Before they could strike, I started moving with all my strength and speed. I flicked my arm toward one and the knife ended up slashing across the thing's face. I got a perverse pleasure out of hearing it groan in pain.**

**I watched as one of the demons swung forward with an oversized arm. I ducked. The demons were slow, so at least I had an advantage. I drove the knife into the demon's temple and I heard as it went through bone.**

**The demon dropped to the ground.**

**The third demon growled threateningly and moved toward me. I yanked the knife from the dead demon and then used it on this one, shoving it into the thing's throat. It started making gurgling sounds as it choked. It collapsed, going into fits on the ground.**

**The demon I'd slashed across the face attacked now, slinging its arm across my face and pain shot through my head as I stumbled backward from the force. I fell down on my hands and knees, head spinning, and lashed out blindly with my foot. It struck something - I heard the demon fall.**

**I, however, stood back up. I kicked the thing in its already injured face and I actually snapped its neck.**

"**Whoa!" I must've been more pissed off than I'd thought.**

**Pain came back to me again from where the thing had originally hit me and I had a metallic taste in my mouth. I spit and saw red. I was bleeding, and as Manu had said, I wasn't healing.**

**Looking over at Matt, I noticed he was doing…fairly okay. He was mostly blocking, though. He was gonna wear himself out. The demons were going at him with short but brutal hits.**

**I went to his aid and got between him and one of the things, blocking a blow that would've knocked Matt out. My arm went numb from the force of the hit.**

**Before the thing could try again, I drove my foot into its crotch. Surprisingly…it cried out in pain. And it fell to its knees, after which I sent a spinning kick to its mouth making it fall backward.**

**I literally flipped over the thing, grabbed my knife and then shoved it into the demon's heart. I yanked it out and went to Matt again to help him take down the fifth. Easy enough - I hit the heart again.**

"**Dude, just kill 'em and move on. Don't waste time and energy."**

**Suddenly a spiky looking thing flew past my face and I saw more _things_ come from the cave, only these were different. Although these were vaguely men-shaped, too. And these were faster.**

**I stabbed the first one in its eye and green mucous squirted out onto my shirt. The thing, however, didn't die. It seemed like I had only pissed it off.**

**Matt surprised me by stabbing the thing three times, one right after the other, in its chest. This time the demon died.**

**Suddenly, another demon attacked me, hitting me where I'd been hit before, only closer to my temple this time and it temporarily blinded me.**

**I dropped and rolled instinctively, coming to my feet where I stopped. I realized these things were…pushing me closer to the cliff's edge. Man, what I wouldn't do for a gun right now.**

**I realized they'd totally left Matt alone now and were forming a semi-circle around me, closing me into the cliff's jagged edge. I couldn't move back any further or I'd fall.**

**And then the demons all leaped at me at the same time and I ducked. Smart, considering I didn't wanna fall. My move would've worked, too, if one of the things hadn't bumped me as if leaped over the cliff and then I let out a hoarse scream.**

**They say when you're about to die, your whole life flashes before your eyes, but in this case…all I could think was that I was never gonna see Dean again, and I hoped he'd be able to forgive me for leaving him.**

**But then I was being grabbed by my ankle mid-fall and it shocked me so much I stopped screaming.**

"**Hold on, I've got you," Matt's voice reached my ears and I felt tears fill my eyes in relief. I wasn't gonna die.**

**When I was back on solid ground I started shaking. I was praying we wouldn't have to fight anymore and then I heard Manu speaking.**

"**Well, I think you've both passed with flying colors."**

"**Passed? We're both still alive," Matt said.**

"**Exactly," Manu said. "I know I said only one could leave, but I had to see what you would do in a do or die situation. Neither of you would let the other die just so you could be saved."**

"**But the exchange," I said weakly.**

"**It was made," Manu said patiently. "The demons were thrown into the fire."**

"**Well, then get us out of here," I demanded. "Like, now."**

* * *

**I woke up to people yelling…there was Bobby and…Dean? Dean! He was awake, alive, and here.**

**I sat up - way too quickly - and looked around. We were all in one room. Me, Sam, Dean, Bobby, Ellen, Jo…even Laurie, David, Matt, and Carol-Anne.**

**Needless to say, it was overly crowded.**

**Dean was doing his worried-yelling and hadn't even noticed I'd sit up yet. He was upset that Bobby had let me do the ritual and upset that I'd been willing to do the ritual without knowing the cost.**

**Sam was the first to see me and he tried getting Dean's attention. "Uh, Dean…" He had to raise his voice. "Dean! She's awake."**

**Dean stopped, mid-yell, and looked my way. The anger died in his eyes as his gaze fell on me. I smiled tentatively at him, not wanting to draw his wrath to myself, and he stepped forward.**

"**Okay, guys, let's give them some time," Ellen's voice sounded over the deafening silence, and the people began filing out of the room.**

**I was still looking at Dean tentatively, and when the last person was out I reached out to Dean as he sat beside me.**

"**Are you gonna -"**

**He cut off my words by pulling me against him. Like flush against him. And his lips pushed against mine with an almost punishing force, but I didn't care. We'd almost lost each other. He'd almost lost _me_, and this was his way of proving I was still here, still alive.**

**When he broke away he was panting and he said fiercely, "don't you ever do anything like that again."**

"**Dean, I had to," I said softly. "You guys were gonna die, I had to do something."**

"**You couldn't have done somethin' else?"**

**I laughed shortly. "I didn't even look for another way, Dean. The only thing I was thinking about was saving you guys before…ya know?"**

**He was still holding me against him, though now more gently than before. I held on tightly.**

"**Dean…what happened? After I…blacked out."**

"**Well, Sam and I woke up at the same time, which was weird enough, and then when you guys didn't come back… Anyway, Bobby told us what happened, Sam and I got dressed and came here."**

"**And the book? Did you guys destroy it?"**

"**Yeah, after the spell or whatever was reversed it was easy to just burn it."**

"**Oh…good."**

"**Yeah," Dean said emphatically. "So…what happened on your end."**

"**Uh…" I pretty much shut myself off then. "I can't…I'll tell you, just not right now, okay?"**

"**Sure, whatever you want."**

"**Oh, uh…I met Manu," I said gently. "And Dean…he doesn't seem evil. Weird and awkward and inhuman…but not evil."**

"**Well, then he's just messing with you. Something good wouldn't hold somebody's life over their head."**

"**Yeah, but he helped us."**

"**Probably because he wants something," Dean said stubbornly. "We already know he wants you to train. We just don't know why."**

"**Well, that's…not exactly true," I said, again tentatively. "Jack told us it was because they both think I can help. I mean, if Manu is tellin' the truth…then maybe I should do what he wants."**

"**Aly, no. I don't know this guy, I don't like him."**

**And that was the end of that conversation.**

"**When can we leave?" I asked softly. "I mean, I don't need to be released or anything, right?"**

"**No, we can leave whenever you're ready."**

"**Good. I'd like to leave _now_. I don't think I like Nevada anymore."**

**I let him go slowly, but refused to take my hand off his arm. It was purely because I'd almost lost him and I was just reassuring myself that this wasn't a dream. I knew the fact that I was so attached to Dean - and Sam, for that matter - made me vulnerable, but I didn't care.**

"**God, Dean," I said, my voice tight. "I almost lost you." I grabbed onto him again as my throat actually began to hurt from trying to keep from crying. It was pent up from since this whole thing had started. "I don't know what I would've done it you'd -" I broke off. I didn't even wanna _think_ about Dean dying so I definitely wasn't gonna say it out loud.**

"**Yeah, well -" Dean cleared his throat uncomfortably "- right back at ya."**

**I let out a soft laugh. "That's just as bad as ditto, Dean."**

"**Well, you scared the hell out of me. I didn't know if you were gonna wake up or just…"**

**I squeezed him reassuringly and I leaned my head up to kiss his neck.**

"**I'm okay…I'm here. It takes more than a stupid spell to keep me down."**

**He huffed out a breath. "Yeah. I'll try and remember that."**

* * *

**Suddenly, there was a commotion outside - a flash of light, and a loud thump. Then it was like the air itself vibrated and growling filled the hallway. A familiar growl.**

"**Oh no!"**

**The hallway erupted in panicked screams and people rushed by the door.**

"**What the hell?" Dean said, moving to the door; I was right behind him.**

**There were things in the hallway. They were gray, big-headed things. They had spears. This was so not good.**

**There were at least five and they were all clearly trying to get to me.**

"**What the hell are they?" Dean asked. "And how do we kill them?"**

"**I dunno. I was gonna try violence."**

**I was frantically looking for the others, but they didn't even appear to be on the same floor.**

"**We need weapons," I said.**

**As if answering my request a spear embedded itself in the wall beside my head. It would've actually hit me if Dean hadn't moved me.**

"**What's going on?" Dean asked. "We destroyed the book."**

"**Try telling that to _them_," I said, gesturing to the gray things coming our way.**

**I pulled the spear out of the wall, but realized it would be no use because the demon it belonged to was already too close to use it on.**

**So instead, Dean punched it in what would've been a human's chest. I heard something crack, and I hoped it wasn't Dean's fist.**

**And apparently it wasn't Dean who was hurt because the demon fell backward, after which I stabbed the thing in the head with the spear. Purple goo squirted out.**

"**Ew," I said in disgust.**

**The other four things kept coming, surrounding us. One of them slashed at Dean's head, which would have decapitated him had he not ducked.**

**I pushed at the thing with my mind, knocking it into the other demons. They fell.**

"**Strike," I quipped, moving forward. I was happy I could use my abilities here, I hadn't been able to wherever I'd been before.**

**I kicked one of the creatures in the neck and actually heard the spine shatter.**

**Two down, three to go.**

**The other three seemed more interested in Dean, now, though. So I leaped up onto one of their backs and snapped its neck. And then I felt as something sharp cut into my cheek. I cried out softly as blood flowed for a second before the wound healed.**

**I saw as Dean stabbed the fourth in the heart, felling it. Dean quickly pulled the spear out and went to do the same to the fifth, but I stopped him.**

"**Wait!"**

**Dean froze. "For what?"**

**I made sure the demon couldn't move and shoved it to the ground. I kept my hand near the back of its head.**

"**Who sent you?" I wasn't sure it could even talk but we were about to find out.**

**The thing only growled and I bashed its head into the ground and repeated my question.**

"**We came for you," the thing answered.**

"**That's interesting, but you didn't answer my question."**

"**You were supposed to be ours," it rasped. "We came to collect."**

"**What does that mean?" Dean asked. "Aly, what is it talkin' about?"**

**I didn't answer.**

"**Aly!"**

"**Not now, Dean!"**

**Dean was pissed now, and he stabbed the thing, killing it.**

"**Really?" Dean yelled. "Because I think now is the perfect time, Alyson! Now, _what_ was it talking about?"**

"**Look, I said I'd tell you, and I will, okay? But we have more important things to do. We need to find Sam and the others. There could be more of these things running around."**

**I knew that was low, using his concern for Sam against him, to my advantage, but I really wanted to find the others and I _didn't_ want to talk about where I'd been.**

**Dean got his phone out and dialed Sam's number, but he didn't answer…someone else did. And the only reason I knew that was because he said David's name.**

"**Dude, what're you doin' with Sam's phone?" There was a pause and then, "there's a what in the basement?"**

**We made our way to the nearest elevator, Dean telling David we'd be right there.**

"**What's in the basement?" I asked, worried.**

"**David said there's a portal and it's…sucking things in. Sam's tryin' to stop it, that's why David had his phone."**

"**A portal? How the hell do we get rid of something like that?"**

"**I dunno, but we gotta figure somethin' out fast."**

**Dean and I got into the empty elevator. Things were really hectic here so people weren't very interested in moving around a lot.**

**Dean looked at me curiously and my heart beat faster - not that that was surprising; every time I saw him, my heart started trip-hopping all over the place. But this time was because the way he was looking at me was making me uneasy.**

"**What?"**

**He brought his hand up to my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the blood from where I'd been cut. I had healed already, but the spilled blood remained.**

"**What happened to you?" Dean asked. "I mean, you've always been able to handle yourself, but…"**

"**I kinda wailed on them, huh?"**

"**You totally kicked their asses," Dean said. "So…what happened?"**

**I grabbed his hand with both of mine. "Dean…where Matt and I went…there was a fight. If either of us had died there we would have died for real."**

"**Yeah, but you're both here. You're both alive."**

**I nodded slowly. "I almost died," I whispered. "I almost got stuck -" I broke off. "I don't…wanna talk about this right now, okay? I just…I can't."**

"**Yeah, hey, it's okay," Dean said softly, reassuringly. "We'll just focus on the problem."**

**The elevator dinged and the doors opened. We were in the lobby.**

"**This isn't the basement," I said obviously. "Why are we -"**

"**Weapons," Dean interrupted.**

"**For a portal?" I asked skeptically. "Do we _have_ any weapons for that?"**

"**Well, no, but if anymore of those things show up, it'll be easier to just shoot 'em."**

"**Yeah, okay." I stayed behind in the elevator. "Be careful, okay? I'm gonna go ahead, make sure Sam and the others are okay."**

"**Aly, no. Come with me."**

**The way he said it, it wasn't a request, though it wasn't an order either. It was a plea.**

"**Yeah. Yeah, okay." I never could say no to him. "But we gotta hurry."**

"**You don't need to tell _me_ that."**

* * *

**At the car, we grabbed knives and guns and anything else we could conceal from the orderlies and security.**

**I had frozen when I'd taken my first few steps outside. Lamp posts had fallen, there were cracks in the pavement, and I knew it was because of the earthquake. Because I'd brought the stupid book here.**

"**Dean, uh…how long was I out?"**

"**Uh, two hours, maybe."**

**I huffed. "Really?" Wow. "It felt more like two days. It was like a never ending fight, where I was."**

**Dean cast a sympathetic glance my way as he shut the Impala's trunk.**

"**Come on," Dean said. "Let's go…stop this thing."**

* * *

**Getting past hospital security wasn't a problem, which surprised me. But then again, so many weird and unexplainable things had happened that the security team had other things to worry about. _We_ were the least of their problems.**

**In the basement- which we arrived at as quickly as possible - we found…a problem. Everyone was unconscious. Everyone except for David, anyway.**

**And there was no portal. That, at least, was a plus.**

"**What's goin' on, David," Dean asked, taking his gun out.**

"**I wouldn't, if I were you."**

**David was on his knees, drawing something on the floor around the bodies of Sam, Jo, Ellen, and Bobby. The others - Laurie, Matthew, and Carol-Anne were in the corner. Unconscious, but apparently unharmed.**

"**David, what're you doing?"**

"**Making an offering," he answered simply, putting the finishing touches on whatever he was doing. He stopped and stood up, holding chalk in one hand, a green gem in the other.**

"**An offering? For what? To who?"**

**David held up the gem and Dean's arm fell limp. He was no longer pointing the gun at David. His arms were basically useless by his side.**

"**What'd you do to him?" I asked angrily, pointing _my_ gun at him. "To all of them?"**

"**Laurie, Matt, and Carol-Anne will be fine." He looked at the others in the circle. "The others…not so much."**

"**Why are you doin' this?"**

**He didn't answer; he just looked at Dean. "Okay, I need you to do me a huge favor."**

**Dean clenched his jaw and I saw the muscles twitch. Apparently, David was controlling Dean.**

"**Kill her," David gestured to me. "Kill her dead."**

"**Why would he kill me?" I asked. "And why do you want me dead?"**

"**Well, I don't, but someone does. You were supposed to die before, but Matt couldn't keep from saving the damsel in distress. You would've been stuck there and you would've changed. And things would be the way I'd planned."**

**He glanced behind him at the hunters in the circle. "Them dying, it's really all your fault."**

**I glared at him. "So…the book and all these people dying - innocent people - it was all you? You've been controlling the whole thing?"**

"**I…pointed Matt towards the book. I knew he'd read it."**

**Was this guy for real? Didn't they usually put psychopaths in the nuthouse?**

**I had a flashback to the scene in the diner where he'd been checking me out and Dean had become possessive. He'd become protective.**

"**Why're you doin' this, David? What are you getting out of this?"**

**He scoffed. "Power, of course." He smirked. "Drop the gun, honey."**

**I felt a small twinge in my head as I ignored the command.**

"**I don't think so," I replied smugly. "You see…my abilities may have not worked earlier…but you're playing on my turf now."**

**David's eyes showed fury - and a bunch of craziness. "Damn."**

"**Yeah. Now let Dean go. Stop whatever it is you're doing to him and we can talk like rational adults."**

**Not that there was anything rational about this guy. I mean, he was as loony as they came.**

"**Nah. I think I'll just sit back and watch as your boyfriend cuts into you."**

**My eyes went to Dean, who had dropped his gun noiselessly to the ground and now had a knife in his hand.**

"**Dean?" I said his name breathlessly. And, oh God, was I gonna have to kill David to keep Dean from killing me? Or maybe I could just destroy the gem. That was what was controlling Dean, right?**

"**What to do, what to do?" David taunted. "Me or Dean? Who's to say if you shoot me that the spell will wear off? Maybe I have to stop him."**

**I glared at him, hating him at the moment. I'd never hated a human before, but right now I actually pictured myself enjoying shooting him.**

**I felt Dean's hand on my cheek and an onslaught of emotions hit me. He was trying to connect, only this was the first time he'd been able to push his soul into mine.**

**I took a deep breath - a gasp, really - and opened myself up to him.**

**_Stop me!_ Dean's voice echoed. _I don't wanna hurt you. Stop me!_**

**His hand - the one that wasn't holding the knife - wrapped around my neck. It shook like he was trying to restrain himself.**

"**That's it," David said, obviously enjoying this.**

**And that was it…I'd given David a chance to talk this out and he hadn't taken it.**

**Dean was both bigger and stronger than myself, so I stopped him the only way I could. I kneed him in the crotch.**

"**Sorry!" I said out loud as he fell to his knees.**

**I looked at David again and pointed my gun at him, not hesitating when I shot him in the chest three times. He looked shocked as the life drained out of him and he fell to the floor, dropping the gem in the process, breaking it into pieces.**

**I looked at Dean and dropped by him. "Dean? You with me again?"**

**His knife had fallen by his side and I slid it out of the way just in case. But it wouldn't have mattered because Dean was holding himself through his jeans, in obvious pain.**

"**Dean?"**

"**Oh God, Aly! You couldn't have stopped me another way?"**

**I laughed in relief, throwing my arms around him and launching myself at him. He ended up on his back because I'd made him lose his balance. A few groans pulled me out of my euphoric state. The others were waking up.**

"**Check on Sam," Dean said softly, and I listened, of course.**

**Going over to Sam, I avoided David's body because, looking back…I knew I hadn't wanted to kill him. I'd given him every chance to stop what he was doing, but he wouldn't. So this _totally_ wasn't my fault. It still felt wrong, though.**

"**Sam?" I knelt beside him and the others in the circle. "Guys?"**

**Jo was the first one to gain consciousness. "What happened?" she asked groggily.**

"**Uh, I'm not…exactly sure. We found you guys like this. David must've done something."**

"**David?" She still seemed out of it. "He had a gem, a green gem."**

"**Yeah. It controls people, I guess."**

**Sam and Bobby woke up at the same time, and then Ellen was last of the people in the circle.**

**The other three - Laurie, Matt, and Carol-Anne - regained consciousness around the same time. Carol-Anne flipped out, seeing the body of her brother, and Matt kinda looked pissed.**

**He was looking betrayed, actually, like he remembered what David had done.**

* * *

**Ellen, being a mother, was taking care of Carol-Anne for now. Matt had tried comforting the girl, but it just hadn't worked. And how could it? Her brother was dead now.**

**So Matt had gone off by himself. We were in the lobby now and he was sitting in one of the chairs near the glass doors.**

**I went to sit by him, but he kinda decided he wanted to ignore me. Which I understood; I had killed his brother.**

"**You don't have to talk to me. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't want to…ya know? I just…there was nothin' else I could do. He was gonna kill me and the others."**

**Matt shrugged slightly. "I know."**

**Dean came up to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "We should get outta here."**

**I looked at him, nodding. "Yeah, okay." I stood up and my attention fell back to Matt. "You gonna be okay?"**

"**Eventually."**

**I grabbed Dean's hand and then began walking to the exit. "Where's Sam?"**

"**In the car." He paused, mid-step. "And Aly?"**

"**Hm?"**

"**We are _so_ going to Vegas."**


	57. The Waiting Process Pt One

**The Waiting Process  
Part One**

**Sam and Dean - Dean, mostly - had wanted to stay in Vegas for a few days, and _I_ hadn't. Dean, however, had said he'd earned it because he'd almost died. That had been a cheap trick, a low blow, but it had made me give in. Sort of.**

**I'd said I didn't care whether they stayed, but I didn't want to. Then Dean had been all "well, if you don't wanna stay, we don't have to." And then I'd said, "you should stay. You and Sam can have brother-time." And they needed it. I remembered how Sam had said he hated me. Well, he couldn't hate me now. I was leaving with Bobby, and they'd meet me at his house when they were done. Or that was the plan, anyway.**

**I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like this. This would be the first time I'd been away from Dean for any real amount of time, and after I'd almost lost him, too? I wasn't going to like this at all.**

**Bobby and I dropped Ellen _and_ Jo off at the Roadhouse. It surprised Ellen when Jo said she wouldn't mind spending a few days with her and Ash. It was probably because both of them had almost died. Nothing like almost getting killed to bring a family together, huh?**

**Back at Bobby's place I decided to go to bed - it was night and I hadn't gotten any sleep since the guys had gotten sick. I still couldn't sleep, though, because Dean wasn't there with me, and I missed the security he brought me just by being near me.**

**And even though I knew where Dean was and that he was okay, I still felt tears prickle behind my eyes.**

**Okay, so maybe me leaving wasn't such a good idea. I should've stayed with him whether I'd wanted to go to Vegas or not, because then at least I would've been with him.**

* * *

**I didn't get to sleep until after three, and even then I didn't sleep well. I could even feel Dean's absence when I was asleep. Without him there it was like I couldn't be at peace. I heard every noise the night provided. It was weird because I was usually a very deep sleeper.**

**Morning came way too quickly for me, and I didn't feel like getting up. I was still tired, but I knew I would be until I saw Dean's face again. I decided to get up since I wasn't gonna sleep, anyway.**

**I sat up, groaning. Today was gonna kill me if the exhaustion didn't do it first. I got dressed and made my way to the stairs where I heard voices. It was Bobby and then someone whose voice I didn't know, but it was male. I could tell they were talking about car pieces. Oh, joy.**

**I went downstairs slowly and made my presence known. Both Bobby and the other guy turned to look at me as the bottom stair creaked.**

"**G'mornin'," Bobby said. "Or not," he added after getting a good look.**

**I smiled softly, though it wasn't genuine.**

"**This is Chris," Bobby said. "Chris James. He comes by a lot for spare parts."**

"**Oh. Hi," I said to him. "I'm Alyson Daniels."**

"**Nice to meet you."**

**Chris looked to be college age. He was tan - though not too dark - and he had blue eyes and curly hair, kind of like Sam's only his was a dishwater blond. He smiled at me with straight white teeth. It was a friendly smile, so I tried to smile back convincingly. _Tried_ being the operative word.**

"**It's nice to meet you, too."**

**Chris seemed to be maybe twenty-two, but no older than that, and he didn't look like a jock…though he didn't seem like the chess club type, either. And he was here for a car part, so then…he was obviously into cars.**

"**Anyway, I'll be back later for those parts and that book."**

"**Yeah. No problem," Bobby said, showing Chris to the door. When he was gone Bobby turned back to me. "You look like hell, girl."**

"**I couldn't sleep." I wasn't about to tell him why, though Bobby probably knew. "He needed a book?" I changed the subject. "A safe book?"**

"**The book is fine." Though Bobby grinned at my reference. "Chris is into mysticism and he takes symbology at school. He borrows books all the time."**

"**Oh." I nodded. "Does he know…about the things that go bump in the night?"**

"**No, not really. He's read about them, of course…but, no."**

"**Oh. How long have you known him?" I was pretty much only asking to distract myself, I didn't really care.**

**Bobby shrugged. "Two years, maybe. Ever since he started goin' to school around here. He heard about my keeping used parts and he came to see me. The borrowing the books came later."**

"**Oh, okay. Well, don't you ever, ya know, worry that he's gonna find out?"**

**Bobby shrugged again. "Nah. Don't worry about all that. He doesn't suspect anything."**

"**Hm." I went toward the kitchen. "D'you want breakfast? I'm gonna fix breakfast."**

"**Sure. I could eat."**

"**Okay, good."**

**Fixing food would give me something to do, take my mind off the absence of Dean. Though it didn't really work that way. In the middle of cooking, the phone rang.**

"**Hello?" I said.**

"**Aly, hey," Dean's deep, rough voice came across the line.**

"**Dean." I didn't even get embarrassed at how relieved I was just to hear his voice. God, it hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since I'd seen him last and there was already a dull ache in my chest because he wasn't _here_.**

"**What're you doin'?" Dean asked curiously.**

"**Cooking breakfast," I said, pulling the cord for the phone over to the stove so I could flip the eggs that were frying.**

**At the mention of food, Dean made an excited _ooh_ sound. "They have all-you-can-eat buffets here. I stuffed myself to the bursting point last night."**

**I laughed once. "Yeah, well…don't make yourself sick. And don't cheat in the casinos, okay? I hear they're run by the mob."**

"**Are you okay?" Dean asked. I wasn't usually such a worry-wart, not out loud, anyway, and Dean was noticing.**

"**Yeah…just not used to being away from you guys."**

**I didn't single him out by saying I wasn't used to being away from _him_. It would make him uncomfortable and it would cut this conversation short. And I didn't want that.**

**Listening to him talk about inane things about Vegas was better than nothing. I could picture his facial expressions when he talked about certain things, I could see his green eyes widen in excitement.**

**But it was worse in some ways. Because imagining him just wasn't enough. It was worse because hearing his voice reminded me of how tired I was and how I hadn't been able to sleep well because he hadn't been there. It was worse because he distracted me and I totally burned what I was cooking.**

**Great, now I'd have to go to the store. I'd ruined the last of the eggs. So, it was cereal for breakfast then.**

"**So…you're being quiet," Dean said, sounding like he wanted to know why…Like I was usually a chatterbox.**

"**Yeah, ya know, I was just listening to you." I sighed heavily. "I didn't sleep well last night because _someone_ wasn't with me."**

**I was only teasing. I didn't want Dean to think I blamed him because I didn't. I could've stayed behind with him, I just hadn't. But I'd been a little…upset. The guys - _my_ guys - had almost died. And Dean had wanted to go to Vegas? Really? I'd just wanted to leave.**

**Dean surprised me by saying, "Yeah, I miss you, too." He said it lightly, but I heard the underlying seriousness in his voice. It just made me want him more.**

"**So, you'll be coming home soon?" I asked hopefully.**

"**Two days, tops."**

"**Oh, good." Although I wished it were sooner.**

* * *

**After talking to Dean, I decided I wasn't all that hungry, so instead of eating, I wrote a grocery list. When I was done, I asked if I could borrow Bobby's Chevelle, so I could go to the store. Of course, he said yes. If _I_ went that would be one less thing for him to do.**

"**I'll be back soon," I said, stepping outside, smiling when I felt the beginnings of spring taking place. Warm weather would be here soon and it made me happy.**

**At Walmart, I only got enough stuff to last a few days. I didn't know how long either of us would be staying, so I didn't want to get too much. The bad thing was that it took an hour just to get enough stuff for three days, tops. The lines were massively long.**

**When I got back to Bobby's, Chris was there again. I guess he was back for the parts and the book. And actually, he had three books stacked in his arms and was getting ready to get back in his car when he spotted me.**

"**Hey. Alyson, right?"**

"**Yeah. Hi."**

**I took the bags of groceries out of the backseat and began walking to the front door of Bobby's house.**

"**Do you need help?"**

"**Um…no, thank you. I've got it." I sighed softly. "You could open the door, though."**

**Chris placed the books in his car and then jogged in front of me to do as I requested.**

"**Thanks."**

**I went to the kitchen and began unloading the food into the fridge. It wasn't hard to find a spot; it was almost empty.**

**I hadn't noticed, but Chris had followed me to the kitchen. He was now leaning comfortably against the counter.**

"**So…Bobby said you've known him for about two years?" I asked, mostly just for something to do.**

"**Yeah. I met him about a week after I started school here. My car messed up and someone told me this was the place to go to if I wanted spare parts."**

"**Oh. Okay."**

"**Yeah." Chris smiled softly. "At first, I was a little nervous. I'd heard he was sort of crazy, what with all the stuff he's into. But…I'm into it, too, and I'm okay."**

**I took in his appearance for the first time since I'd seen him outside. He was wearing a black T-shirt and a flannel over-shirt. He was also wearing blue jeans and had on worker boots. He'd changed since he'd been here last.**

"**Yeah, Bobby told me about you borrowing books all the time."**

**While he explained about the whole symbology and mysticism thing, I began to make a garlic-butter sauce to marinade steaks in. Bobby and I would be having steaks and potatoes tonight. And possibly a salad.**

"**So, are you related to Bobby?" Chris asked curiously. "I've never seen you here before."**

"**No, we're, uh, not related. Although…we _are_ family. Just not by blood."**

"**So, you're just visiting?"**

"**Um…yeah. Sorta. Me and my boyfriend and his brother come here sometimes. They're in Vegas now."**

"**You let your boyfriend go off to Vegas by himself?" Chris seemed amused. "Brave girl."**

"**_Trusting_ girl," I countered quickly. "And I have a great boyfriend."**

"**You're not worried at all?"**

**I shrugged. "No, not really. I _know_ Dean, and he's not the type to stray."**

**What did this guy care, anyway?**

**After my sauce was done, I got the steaks back out of the fridge and placed them in the sauce.**

"**So, where're you from?" Chris asked after a moment of silence.**

"**Where are you from?" I asked back, not giving an answer.**

**Chris shook his head. "Okay, I can see this is gonna go well." But he smiled while talking. "I'm from Florida. I lived with my dad until I was fifteen. I got in trouble for drug abuse, and he kicked me out. I sobered up pretty quickly after that. Now I go to college." He smirked. "Your turn."**

**I sighed heavily. "I graduated last year. Uh…my mom died, I met Dean and his brother, we traveled together. I fell in love and now I'm here telling my abridged life story to someone I barely know. Happy?"**

"**Thrilled," Chris deadpanned. "You never said where you were from."**

"**California." I placed the steaks back in the fridge. "So, why'd you come all the way out here to go to school?"**

"**I needed a new start. Somewhere where no one knew me." Sadness filled Chris' eyes. "Somewhere where people wouldn't know me as the kid who was a screw-up."**

"**And why were you a screw-up?"**

"**The whole drug thing. I got pretty deep into it. My…my mom died and it messed me up pretty badly."**

**I suddenly found the kitchen floor very interesting. "Sorry," I said softly. "Losing a parent is never easy."**

**After that, things were quiet - and it wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't companionable, either. Eventually, Chris just left - probably to go find the parts I'd heard him talk about earlier.**

* * *

**Chris came back the next day, and the day after that, and it wasn't to borrow anything. It was just to see me.**

**I'd have to put a stop to that. He couldn't go on thinking I wanted him around all the time. And it wasn't that he wasn't nice…he was really nice…but he was also admiring, and I didn't want that. So I would have to sweetly tell him to back off. I could talk to him, sure, but I didn't want any…flirting.**

**It had been two days since Dean had said he and Sam would be back. So now I was just waiting for them to get here. Waiting impatiently, might I add. I was…_anticipating_ maybe was the better word.**

**But all in all, I was comfortable at Bobby's, and the only thing that would've made it better was if Sam and Dean were there with me.**

**I was on edge the whole day, just waiting for the sound of the Impala pulling into the driveway. And then I finally _did_ hear it. I dropped the book I'd been pretending to read and then ran out the front door. Dean and Sam were just getting out of the car, and when Dean stood up straight I flung myself onto him. It didn't really surprise him, and he'd been ready for it. He wrapped his arms securely around me.**

"**Whoa! If this is the kind of homecoming I get I should stay away more of -"**

**I cut him off with a fierce open-mouthed kiss. I didn't care if I seemed needy. He'd been away from me for three days and I'd missed him.**

"**Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence," I said, breaking away gently. I looked up just to see his face and had to smile because he was grinning openly. It seemed like his smile lit up the area around him. It was beautiful.**

"**I missed you," I whispered. "You were only gone for a few days, but…I still missed you."**

"**Me, too," he said just as softly.**

**He let me go slowly, and then grabbed for my hand, squeezing lightly. "You and I need to talk. And…who's the guy on the porch staring at you?"**

**I didn't have to look to know. "Chris James. He's…been hanging around a lot."**

"**Hm…did you want me to say something?"**

"**Nah," I said, shaking my head. "He's nice. Um…I've been meaning to say something to him, actually. But now that you're here we'll be leaving soon, so it doesn't matter."**

**Something in Dean's face changed when I mentioned leaving - his smile faded.**

"**What?"**

"**We need to talk." That was the second time he'd said that**

"**What's wrong?"**

"**Let's just go somewhere private."**

**This didn't really sound good, but it did sound important so I let him lead me to a stack of cars.**

"**Okay, uh, don't get mad, okay?"**

"**I'll try." Why does anyone start the conversation off by saying that unless they might piss you off?**

"**Sam and I got a call from this guy, Deacon. He was in the Marines with Dad. He's having a ghost problem."**

"**Uh, we deal with ghosts all the time. What's the problem?"**

"**It's in a prison," Dean said hesitantly. "Which means -"**

"**You have to go to prison?" I finished louder than I meant to. "Dean, no."**

**Dean looked mildly sheepish, and guilty. He's already agreed to it.**

"**Dean, no," I repeated, more firmly this time. "If you go to prison…"**

"**Deacon's the head guard there, we'll be able to get out," he said. "It's a sure thing, Aly. I wouldn't have agreed if it wasn't."**

**I sighed, clearly not happy with the situation at all.**

"**Where do you have to go?"**

"**Green River County. And…I'd like you to stay here with Bobby, okay? Both Sam and I are gonna be…ya know, and you'd be safer here."**

**I sighed, _again_. "Dean, I don't like it. What if something happens and you get stuck? You don't want to get stuck in prison, okay? And Sam definitely doesn't wanna get stuck, he wouldn't do well there."**

"**Hey, we'll be fine," he soothed. "Really. It's a definite in and out situation."**

**I balled my fists up by my side and made a frustrated type of sound.**

"**I can't _believe_ you made this decision without talking to me first. What if something goes wrong?"**

"**Nothing's gonna go wrong," Dean said, pulling me to him. "I'll be back before you know it."**

**My face scrunched up in disbelief. I doubted his statement very much. And I knew he was only saying it to try and make me feel better.**

"**Well, when're you leaving?" I asked sadly.**

**I mean, really, he'd just gotten back a few minutes ago and he already had a plan to go somewhere else? Without me?**

"**Early in the morning, probably. Before dawn."**

**I let out a shaky breath. That was just way too soon. "I _really_ don't like this."**

* * *

**That night as soon as Dean and I got in our room, I pretty much attacked Dean with my lips. I kissed him desperately; I didn't know when I'd see him again and I was frustrated.**

**I hadn't brought up the prison thing again, and I'd pretended to be okay with his decision even though I hadn't been. And instead of talking, I wanted to do this.**

**I pushed the over-shirt over his shoulders and down his arms, kissing his neck while removing the shirt. Dean wasn't quite as frantic about it, and it slowed me down a little.**

"**Dean, I just…I really need you right now."**

**He let out a moan at my words and his hands fell to my hips, one hand actually grabbing my ass, pulling me against him. I arched my back to get closer and smiled before claiming his lips with mine. But then I pulled away again.**

"**Dean, you _better_ come back to me, okay? You can't just…" I trailed off, knowing I was getting ready to make things uncomfortable. "You can't leave me alone."**

**Both his hands slid up my sides, slowly bringing my shirt up and over my head.**

"**Don't worry. I wouldn't have agreed if I couldn't come back to you. I wouldn't have said yes if I thought for a second that it would take me away from you."**

**I nodded, bringing my hands up to wrap around him to kiss him again and Dean started unzipping my jeans. Before long, I was stepping out of them and that's when I noticed Dean was still mostly clothed. Well, _that_ had to change, and fast. Very fast.**

"**We should definitely get you out of your clothes now."**

"**Mm…workin' on it."**

**I leaned up just as he dipped back down and we were kissing again. It wasn't exactly rough, but it wasn't gentle either. It held all the passion and need and love I could express without exploding.**

**My hands slipped under his shirt and I ran my fingers slowly over the muscles in his abdomen, and his stomach clenched and he let out a breath into the kiss.**

**By the time we finally go to the bed we were both fully unclothed and we couldn't keep our hands off of each other.**

* * *

**Two hours later, Dean and I had made love just as many times, and I was sated. I was tired now, yet complete rested at the same time. Every inch of my skin was humming with energy from our recent activities.**

"**Mm…" I snuggled into his sweat-slicked side, curving my body so I'd fit to him like a puzzle piece. "I feel much better."**

**Dean's chest rumbled a laugh as his arm came up to wrap around me.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Yeah…" I sighed softly. "Look, I'm not…really mad at you. Kinda disappointed that you made this decision without talking to me about it first, but…I understand why you feel you have to do it. I'm not happy about it, and I'm gonna be worried until I hear from you, but I understand."**

**Dean caressed his hand over my arm.**

"**I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first. But I knew if I didn't agree before I talked to you that you'd try and stop me, and it probably would've worked."**

**I smiled and kissed his shoulder. "But now…you have an obligation to go."**

"**Right."**

**My lips touched his skin again. "Just…wake me before you leave?"**

"**Yeah. No problem."**

**With that, I fell into a semi-restful sleep.**

* * *

Okay...so I know this is shorter than my usual update, but this chapter was my way of introducing Chris James. I don't actually know why I thought him up, and I don't know what use he'll be exactly, but I knew I wanted him in the story. I'll figure out his story arc later. LOL. What do you think? Anyway...yeah, the next post will probably be longer. And I know Aly came off as a little too dependent on Dean, but I don't think of her that way, I just think of her as a normal girl who is used to being around the love of her life and then she's just...not and it gets to her. (Oh, wow, what'll she do after season three?) Enjoy!!!


	58. The Waiting Process Pt Two

**The Waiting Process  
Part Two**

**Dean woke me up before he left like I'd asked him to, and then I'd had to snuggle with a pillow just to get back to sleep. And then when I got up for good I saw it was raining. Oh, well. That matched my mood.**

**Chris came by _again_, although to his credit, he didn't know I was here and he was only bringing books back. But then he ended up staying. I didn't care as long as he kept it friendly. Which…granted, he'd never tried anything and the only way I could tell he was interested was because of the way he looked at me.**

"**So, why're you still here? I thought you'd be with your boyfriend."**

"**Um…Dean is with Sam. They needed quality guy time." In prison.**

"**And you miss him already." It wasn't a question, and he was being sympathetic.**

"**You have no idea," I muttered.**

"**Well, why didn't you just go with him, then?"**

"**Uh…it's complicated. And I don't really wanna talk about it. But it was a…family thing."**

"**Oh. Okay. Well…are you planning on spending the whole time just waiting for him to come back? Time will go by faster if you go out and do something."**

"**Uh, it's raining. There's really not much else to do except sit around here."**

**Besides, before I'd met Dean and Sam, that was pretty much all I'd done, anyway. I'd been a homebody growing up. All I'd done was read and study. I'd been an honest-to-God good girl.**

"**Hey! Are you alright?"**

**Chris' hand waved in front of my face - I'd been spacing out.**

"**Fine. I'm fine."**

"**Well, good. It's good that you're fine." Chris seemed amused by my spacing out.**

"**Were you…saying something?" Had I been unintentionally ignoring him?**

"**I was wondering if you wanted to go to this frat party tonight?"**

**I looked at him strangely. Was he being serious?**

"**Why would I wanna go to a frat party?"**

"**I don't know. To give you something to do?"**

"**Hm." I definitely didn't want to do that. "That's not really my scene, Chris." I'd heard wild things went on at things like that, so as I'd said…not my scene. "Thanks for the invite, though."**

* * *

**Two days later, I was pretty much over the missing-Dean stage. I was more at the worrying-because-he-was-in-jail stage. I was constantly thinking about something going wrong and both my guys getting stuck in prison. Dean _was_ on the FBI's wanted list.**

**Then I had to remind myself that both Sam and Dean knew what they were doing and everything would be okay.**

**Bobby and I were good housemates. We were like father and daughter without the awkward rules and regulations. I could do pretty much whatever I wanted since he wasn't _actually_ my dad.**

**It wasn't raining today and Spring seemed to be in full bloom, so I was outside on the porch with the journal Jack had gotten me. Just because he was a jerk didn't mean I wasn't gonna use something he'd given me.**

**Chris had showed up that morning - he hadn't been back since he'd invited me to the frat party and I'd turned him down. He'd said he was sorry about coming on too strong, and that he'd stop. That maybe we should start over, and that he would behave.**

"**So…I'm Chris James," he said, sticking his hand out. "And you are?"**

**He really wanted to act out an introduction? Really? Fine.**

"**Alyson Daniels. It's nice to meet you. I think."**

"**I've been told I'm very nice to meet," Chris said lightly, and in a non-flirty way.**

**He grinned and I grinned back.**

"**Not big-headed, are you?"**

**He shrugged and laughed. "Nah. My head's fairly normal sized."**

"**Right, but your ego's not."**

"**Hey, I can't help it if other people think I'm nice to meet."**

**Things went on in that fashion and I soon learned that we could get along great when he wasn't showing an interest in me. He was a comfortable person to be around. And normal, which was good because I was starting to feel like I didn't know how to relate to normal people. But here I was having a decent conversation with a civilian.**

"**Anyway, after I asked you to the party and you said no…I thought about what you said and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the library with me?"**

"**The…library?"**

"**Yeah. I have a group of friends, and we go to this quiet-room place that the library has. We read out loud, like, poems or excerpts from our favorite books."**

"**Um…" Okay, that was more my scene. "Yeah, sure."**

"**Okay. I get out of class at two tomorrow and I can be there around two-thirty."**

"**Good. That's good."**

* * *

**As two-thirty drew nearer the next day, I began to grow nervous. Number one, I kinda sorta thought I maybe should've said no to Chris because I couldn't tell Dean what I was doing. Not that I needed permission, it just would've been nice to have told him.**

**Number two, it hadn't occurred to me that Chris may have been lying about getting a group together. Maybe I'd show up and it would only be him. That thought had never even crossed my mind. So, if _that_ happened, I'd just leave and tell him to leave me alone in the process. Hopefully, that didn't happen because it had been nice to just _talk_ to someone who didn't know about demons and stuff.**

**When I actually got to the library, I realized my worries about Chris lying were unnecessary. There was a group of six others; two guys and four girls.**

**Both guys seemed rich, they had designer clothes and everything. They probably drove Porsches. One was blond like Chris, only he had spiky hair. The other had pitch black hair. Blondie's name was Kevin, the other was Steve.**

**The four girls were complete different from each other. There was one with bushy red hair and ocean blue eyes. Her name was Beth. The second girl had sleek black hair and dark eyes; her name was Chloe and she seemed shyer than the others. The other two looked like they could bee cheerleaders. One was blond, the other a brunette. The blonde's name was Britney, the other was Natalie.**

**Chris introduced me to everyone and then we got started with the books…or, well, most were poems. Some were from books, some were poems that the people here had written.**

**Then we got to the books and one of the girls, Chloe, read from _Twilight_ -I think. It was funny, though, because if these girls only _knew_ what vampires were really like…they wouldn't think Twilight was so good anymore.**

**_About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocable in love with him._**

**Chloe stopped reading, which was good because I stopped paying attention. Her talking about someone being in love inevitably made me think of Dean. _I_ was - how had Chloe said it? - unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Dean. Actually, I didn't know if those words were strong enough to describe it…but there it was.**

**During the book-discussing-meeting I mostly just sat back and listened. It fascinated me that I'd read most of the books these people had even though they were older than me.**

**I was close to reveling in the fact that I was doing something normal, but - and not for the first time - I was disappointed that Dean wasn't here to enjoy it with me. Not that he would ever enjoy a book club, but still…**

**We'd been there for maybe an hour when someone said, "So, you're engaged?"**

**It took me a few seconds to realize that the question had been directed at me.**

"**What?"**

**I glanced at whoever had spoken and saw it was Britney. She was looking at the ring on my left hand. The silver and sapphire one that Dean had given me a while back.**

"**Your ring. Are you engaged?"**

"**Oh, um…no." I ran the fingers of my right hand over the ring on my left. "Um…it's a promise ring."**

**Two of the girls went _aww_ and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.**

"**It's sort of a family tradition. His dad gave his mom this ring, he passed it on to Dean and he gave it to me."**

**Again a couple of 'aww's' filled the room.**

"**That's really kinda…sweet," Chloe said softly.**

"**Yeah, Dean's a sweetie," I replied. "He's, um…traveling with his brother, but he'll be back soon."**

**By the time the meeting was over I realized the only one I really liked - other than Chris - was Chloe. She was soft-spoken and shy, yet she read with a passion that I didn't see anywhere else in her life so far. When she read it was like she put herself in the book, and hearing her put every books-on-tape narrator I'd ever heard to shame.**

"**So…" Chris looked at me. "We usually go for pizza or something after. Do you wanna come with us?"**

**I looked at my wrist and realized I didn't wave a watch on. But it had to be at least four, right?**

"**Um…actually, I need to go. I cook for Bobby when I'm there."**

"**Okay," Chris said easily. "Well, some other time then."**

**I didn't agree out loud to that; I just nodded once, which meant it wasn't a definite yes or no.**

* * *

**A few days went by and I started getting worried again. Dean had said it would be an in-and-out thing. Didn't that mean it should've been quick? Like, get arrested, go to prison, pop the ghost, then escape, quick?**

**I was just imagining all the things that could possibly have gone wrong. Sam and Dean could've been separated, or Dean could've gotten into a fight. Sam wasn't the type. Or Dean could've been sent to solitary confinement for disorderly conduct.**

**Then there was a problem that was a little closer to home. I had begun to realize that aside from Sam and Dean not being here…I liked being able to stay in one place for a while. And I loved being able to do normal stuff even more. And I hadn't even been aware I was missing normality until I'd started doing things with Chris. Chris, who had kept his word about behaving. He hadn't been coming over every day, which was good because I definitely would've had to say something to him. And he was proving to be a good friend, but I still worried about Dean, no matter how well Chris was behaving.**

**Not only was I worried about Dean, but it was like I needed him…sexually. It was like I knew I couldn't have him because he wasn't there, so therefore…it made it almost impossible to not want him in that way. It was like…because he wasn't here, it made me want him more than usual.**

**Funny how life was sometimes like that. Right? And I felt it most at night - I even dreamed about it. And I would wake up frustrated. Cold showers were part of my routine now. Because I _wasn't_ gonna take care of it myself.**

**And the thing was I had never really seen sex as an important part of our relationship. I mean…yes, the sex was amazing, Dean was like a sex god, but we were more than that. I loved the connection that went with it, and orgasms were amazing, but still… But now that I _couldn't_ be with him like that it made me crave it. Dumb, huh? It was like if you were on a diet and you couldn't have that extra slice of pizza, and just because you couldn't it made you want it even more. Only Dean was better than any damn pizza, and he wasn't food.**

**I shook my head at my mental rambling, rolling my eyes at myself. Sam and Dean would be fine; they were professionals, after all.**

* * *

**That night I heard from Dean, which was good. He confirmed my worry that something had gone wrong, but he was quick to assure me that everything was fine now.**

**Agent Henricksen - the guy from the back robbery case - had found them…which sucked, but their public defender had come to their rescue. I felt like sending her a fruit basket.**

"**Is that why it took so long?" I asked, cautiously curious.**

"**Nah. It took a while to figure which dead inmate it was. Then I got into a fight and was thrown into solitary."**

**I laughed once. "Yeah, I figured you would."**

**He went on to explain the ghost had turned out to be an old nurse who had died. She'd been the kind to take the law into her own hands, and had continued even after death.**

**When I was sure he was done talking about the hunt I asked him where he was and when they'd be home.**

"**Well, Sam's at a hotel and I'm getting ready to check out this abandoned warehouse. We were on our way back to Bobby's and we stopped in this town where a few people have gone missing. We should be back tomorrow around noon, though."**

"**Oh. What're you hunting?"**

"**A djinn," Dean said.**

"**A what?" That was a new one.**

"**Basically a genie. They shack up in old abandoned buildings because there are millions of places to hide."**

"**Shouldn't you just…ya know, go get Sam first? Safety in numbers and all that?"**

"**Are you doubting my hunting skills?" he joked.**

"**No," I replied. "But…as I said…safety in numbers."**

**He chuckled. "I'll let him know where I'm at, okay?"**

"**Thank you." Things became silent, so I asked. "Did you need something?"**

"**No. No, I just wanted to let you know what was going on, and that I'd see you tomorrow. And, after the whole jail thing, I wanted to hear your voice."**

**I smiled sweetly. "You like my voice?"**

"**Mm, love your voice." His voice was low and rough and oh, so sexy. And he was completely doing it on purpose.**

"**Stop being a tease," I said lightly.**

"**Hey, I was just talking. I can't help it if that gets you hot."**

**I blushed furiously at his words and prayed Bobby wouldn't come in the room - I was on my cell - and see.**

"**I wish I could see your face now," Dean teased. "It's probably beet red."**

"**Dean…" God, he was mean.**

"**Okay, okay. We can change the subject." Dean laughed. "What have you been up to?"**

"**Mostly hanging around here. I went to the library the other day."**

**He scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause Bobby doesn't have enough books there."**

"**Well, I was with…a group of people." I sighed. "Chris invited me, and so I went."**

"**Oh, _Chris_ invited you. Th-that's nice." There was an edge to his voice that I didn't much care for.**

"**Dean, I was with a group of his friends, and most were girls."**

"**Uh-huh. And what did you guys do at the library?" His tone hadn't softened any.**

**I laughed a little. "It was the library. What do you think we did?" But then I answered honestly instead of sarcastically. "We read…or, well, _they_ did, and I listened. Sometimes. Mostly I just thought about you a lot."**

"**Really?" His tone was bordering on reasonable now, and I smiled.**

"**Yes, really. What, did you think I'd forget about you while you were gone?"**

**Dean's mood lightened considerably. "Well, I _was_ in prison."**

"**Oh, please. Plenty of women love men who are in jail." I was joking, but it was true. "Anyway, go bag you a djinn so you guys can come back to me."**

* * *

**Around four that morning my cell rang again. I'd taken to keeping it on all night since the guys had been gone. I answered without looking at the screen.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Hey." It was Sam…why was he calling at four in the morning?**

"**Sam?" I sat up. "What's wrong?"**

"**Nothing, now. I didn't wanna wake you, but Dean insisted I call."**

"**Why? What happened?"**

"**Well, he…the djinn kinda did whatever -" Sam broke off, and I heard Dean said 'let me talk to her' and then there was the noise of the phone being passed between them.**

"**Aly?" Dean sounded weak, like maybe he'd gotten sick recently…or something.**

"**Dean? You okay?"**

"**Yeah. I'm…I needed to hear you."**

**Okay, that was the second time he'd told me that within the last eight hours.**

"**I had to make sure…you were there."**

"**Um…okay. Where else would I be?"**

"**I don't - I don't know. I had to make sure you were okay."**

**Dean sounded shaken…and wrecked. Oh, God. What had happened? Why did he sound like he thought I was in trouble?**

"**I'm here. I'm okay. Now, what happened?" Not that I could help from here, but I could at least offer a small amount of comfort over the phone.**

"**The djinn got a hold of me. Sam had to come find me." I mentally congratulated myself for telling Dean to tell Sam where he was. "Anyway, we saved this girl and now we're at the hospital. She was barely alive. She'd lost a lot of blood."**

"**Blood?"**

"**Yeah, that's what the djinn lives on. He makes you think you're living out a wish or something and he feeds on you."**

**Ew.**

"**And he got you?" I scrunched up my nose. "Or…I'm gonna go with _it_. It got you?"**

"**Yeah. I was out for seven hours at least."**

"**Wow. Well, tell Sam thank you from me. Seriously."**

"**Yeah."**

**There was something just hanging there between us and since he wasn't here so I could see his face, I was in the dark as to what it was. So I had to guess.**

"**It made you think it had granted you a wish?"**

"**Mom was alive." My hand tightened on the phone. "Sam was in college. I was a mechanic."**

**They were normal, and not hunters? Wow.**

"**Oh, Dean. I'm sorry."**

"**Yeah." He was saying _yeah_ a lot. "Look, I…like I said, I needed to hear your voice. Sorry we woke you."**

"**It's okay. You needed to - it's okay."**

"**Good. I love you, ya know."**

**A thrill ran through me. He'd said it so easily; it was usually harder for him. The thrill turned to a chill. Something bad - worse than he was letting on - had happened.**

"**I love you, too," I said sincerely.**

"**Sam and I will be there around noon, okay?"**

"**Yeah, I'll be here."**

* * *

**After that call, I had a hard time going back to sleep. I knew Dean was hurting, wherever he was, and I wanted to be there to make it all right again. He'd sounded…scared - a little - when he'd heard my voice, and then relieved when I was okay. But why had he thought I'd be other than okay? The djinn must've done something to make him believe that.**

**A djinn…I still wasn't sure what that was exactly, other than a genie. I was fairly certain, though, that they weren't lovable, pro-wrestler-looking guys like the genie in Aladdin.**

**And he'd said his mom had been alive? That had probably been hard to go through…and hard to leave behind. I knew how much Dean wished his mother was still alive, and I hated thinking about him having to give her up after finding her again, even if it hadn't been real.**

* * *

**The guys got back around noon just like Dean had said they would, and Dean's eyes landed on me, taking me in like he was a man dying of thirst and I was water.**

"**Hey," I said, as they made their way into the living room.**

"**Hey, yourself," Sam said, smiling gently.**

**Dean came and sat on the arm of the chair I was sitting in and he grabbed my hand. I squeezed his fingers slightly.**

"**So…what happened?"**

**They both could tell I meant after the djinn had gotten Dean, but before Sam had rescued him.**

"**Well…Sam and I didn't get along," Dean said. "And he was a wuss."**

**I looked over at Sam and shook my head. Sam was a lot of things, but I'd never describe him as a wuss.**

"**How did that happen?" I asked.**

"**I wished for Mom to live," Dean said. "If Mom had lived we wouldn't be hunters. So…Sam would be a wuss."**

"**So…what did the djinn do? Like knock you out or something?"**

**Dean cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah, it was like a supernatural acid trip. It was hard to get out of."**

"**Yeah, I bet."**

**Sam moved toward the door. "Where's Bobby? Out in the yard?"**

"**Um…" I hadn't actually noticed he wasn't in the house. "I guess…somewhere."**

"**Well, I'm gonna go talk to him." Sam was politely excusing himself.**

"**Okay. And, uh, Sam?" I said.**

"**Yeah?"**

"**Thank you." For totally saving the day on this one.**

"**No problem."**

* * *

**After Sam left, Dean pretty much dragged me upstairs - in a nice way - so we could talk. Or that's what he said he wanted to do, and our room was for privacy. He didn't have to say anything, though, because I already know what it was gonna say.**

"**You wanted to stay. Didn't you?" I asked softly, gently, understandingly.**

"**Oh, so bad," he said, and it came out as a whisper.**

**I shut the door as soon as we were in, and locked it, too. **

"**But I couldn't."**

**I took a good look at him and swallowed against a lump in my throat when I noticed his eyes were glistening with - gulp - tears.**

**Oh, my Dean. My poor Dean.**

**I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. What was I supposed to do here? I couldn't say 'it'll be all right' because our lives were never all right.**

"**I love you. I know that doesn't help right now, but I love you."**

"**You weren't there, Aly," he said, just as softly as before.**

**Oh, God…**

"**Why not?"**

"**Sam and I never became hunters…and _we_ saved you, Aly. Without us there…"**

"**I died," I finished for him.**

"**Everyone we saved…I checked, and they weren't alive."**

"**That's why you came back?" For the people he hadn't saved in that reality. Even though it hadn't been real.**

"**Well, I figured it out while I was in the…hallucination or whatever."**

**And of course Dean would feel the need to do the right thing no matter how bad he'd wanted to stay.**

"**When did you find out that I was…ya know?"**

"**About halfway through. I woke up alone in a place I didn't recognize, saw a picture of Mom, went and made sure. I was in Lawrence. I don't know, I thought maybe you were in college or something, but I checked."**

"**I'm sorry," I said, mostly because I didn't know what else to say.**

**My arms were still wrapped around him, and I moved them soothingly over his back. I turned my face up so Dean would know I wanted to kiss him - darn my shortness - and he leaned down so our lips connected.**

**I felt the fullness of his lips and the warmth of his tongue and I suddenly remembered the sexual frustration I'd been feeling lately. But, no, this wasn't about that. This was about taking care of Dean. Although, sex would probably be had.**

**I wrapped my arms around his neck and swirled my tongue around his, and his hands landed on my hips where they slid up and under my shirt. I moved my legs a little so we were chest to chest and I felt my nipples harden against his warmth. The only problem was our shirts were in the way.**

**I moved closer, rubbing my chest against him and he moaned, probably involuntarily, and taking the hint, he reached up to cup me in his palm. Then the massaging started, and I gasped, pressing myself closer to him. He had me whimpering in no time, and the kissing was getting more and more passionate.**

**He began lifting my shirt up and I pulled away long enough to have him pull it over my head. His mouth fell to mine again and I began backing up, pulling him with me, to the bed. On which, we landed, Dean on top of me, my legs spreading automatically to make room for him.**

**I hadn't been wearing a bra, so Dean had no work to do there, and he shifted his attention downwards to my breasts, his mouth on one, his hand on the other. I arched right up off the bed and moaned his name. Softly. We were in Bobby's house and that - being loud - would've been rude, and embarrassing.**

**He lifted his mouth and smirked playfully. "I love when you sound like that."**

**That caused another moan, only louder, and his smirk became a genuine smile. I reached for his shirt now and slid it up over his head, and I dropped it on the floor beside the bed.**

**Dean began kissing me again and I began rocking my hips against his, trying to create the friction I so desperately craved.**

**He groaned and pulled away gently, getting up to his knees. He was panting and I watched, fascinated by the fact the his chest was heaving in and out. His green eyes were darkened with lust, and his hair was messed up. I must have been running my fingers through it at some point.**

**When he didn't immediately come back to me I began to wonder if I'd done something wrong.**

"**Dean?" He was just looking at me. "Are you okay?"**

"**I'm fine. I just like looking at you. That's all."**

**I flushed in pleasure. And maybe a little in embarrassment.**

**He grabbed my hand and lightly squeezed. "I like touching you." He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed the tip of my index finger before nipping at it. "I love tasting you."**

**I felt the heat in my cheeks and knew I was probably blushing like crazy. He usually didn't say stuff like this. What was wrong? Was it the recent djinn incident? Because I hadn't been there?**

**Dean began caressing my stomach lightly and he came back down to meet my lips.**

"**You're perfect, ya know that?" he whispered against me. I wasn't sure, but I thought his voice was shaky and rougher than normal.**

**I brought my hands to his shoulders and rubbed soothingly, and my chest tightened so hard it was painful, and I could barely breath.**

"**I love you."**

**Usually I had to say it first, but this time Dean had. His recent experience had obviously shaken him so bad, and here I was selfishly thinking of sex.**

"**Dean, I love you, too. You know I do."**

**He pulled away once more and stared down at me, his eyes still dark…but they were also sad.**

"**You weren't there, Aly. That's one of the reasons I couldn't stay. I can't be in a world without you in it. It's…I just can't."**

**I felt tears fill my eyes and I quickly blinked them back, but a few tears fell down my face.**

"**Mom was…she tried to get me to stay by saying I'd be happy there. I'd have love and comfort and safety. And then I realized right then that…I have that. All of it. When I'm with you. You're the first person I thought of when she said that."**

"**God, Dean…" I didn't know what to say, so I reach up and stroked his face gently. "You give me that, too, ya know. Every day. All the time."**

**He let out a breathy sigh and kissed me again. Harder this time, more…desperately. And I could tell this was what he needed and I was more than willing to give it to him.**

**When Dean stood up to undress fully I watched him carefully, and my traitor eyes drifted to his _very_ erect cock and I had to force myself to look back up. I shook my head and shimmied out of my jeans and panties, throwing them on the floor with Dean's own clothing.**

**I heard Dean's breathing catch and he sank back onto the bed where he'd been before. Only…we were naked now. And he was still looking, which made me a little self-conscious. What exactly was he staring at?**

**_Finally_ he leaned in to kiss me again. Gently, though, like he was holding back for some reason. His body was tight with frustration - like I knew mine was - yet he kept it light for now.**

"**Dean…um…I _really_ want you right now…so…"**

**He cut me off by kissing me again, only this time on my neck and jaw line. He lifted slightly away again and I saw he was grinning. "Patience is supposed to be a virtue, ya know?"**

"**Yes, well, I'm not feeling very virtuous right now." And I needed him in me, like, _yesterday_.**

**His mouth went back to work and his lips traveled downwards, making designs on my tummy with his tongue, and my heart leapt because I knew what he was gonna do. And then he was _there_, and oh, yes. And I…lost my train of thought. Actually, I forgot how to think.**

"**Dean!" I didn't forget his name, however, even though I had trouble remembering my own.**

**It didn't take long for me to come undone…three times - one right after the other - because, yes, Dean was that good. I cried out, I moaned, I may have even cursed. I wasn't sure. The house could've actually been lifted by a tornado and landed in Oz and I wouldn't have noticed. Really.**

**As I was still convulsing from my third orgasm, Dean kissed his way back up to my neck and then my lips, and not for the first time, I tasted myself on his tongue.**

**I felt him pressing against my stomach and I moved against him, pulling another moan from him.**

"**Dean…please." _Please_ pretty much summed it up. "You should definitely -"**

**He kissed me before moving his arm in a southerly direction. I knew what he was gonna do. He did it every time we made love. He always made sure I was prepared enough, stretched enough. It was sweet and I loved him for it. But I was also feeling a tad impatient right about now.**

**And actually, my desire should've burned out - a little, at least - but it hadn't. I think maybe Dean had turned me into a nymphomaniac. But it was all for him, so it was okay.**

**I whimpered softly at how sensitive I was, and Dean's eyes found mine, probably making sure I was okay. And Dean was being such a tease, but it felt _so_ good. And then finally he was lowering himself between my thighs again and I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck and - _God_ - he was finally slipping inside me and -**

"**Yes!" I gasped.**

**Dean clenched his jaw like he normally did on the initial thrust in. He always came to a stop when he was completely in to give me time to adjust. He said it was because I was still tight and he didn't want to hurt me.**

"**God, you feel good," Dean said tightly.**

"**My name's Alyson, actually," I quipped, trailing my hands to the small of his back and up again.**

"**Smartass."**

**I laughed once before he pulled out a little just to thrust back in quickly. To which, I wrapped my legs around his waist. If he had done it to shut me up…it had worked.**

**The room gradually became…spin-y…in a very good way and I felt myself spiraling toward ecstasy again.**

**There was Dean thrusting in and out, our bodies working together. There were his hands squeezing and releasing my thighs in turn as he came closer to climaxing. There was his breath on my neck from where he'd latched on with his teeth. And then there were the almost-groans that rose up from his chest every time he sank back into me.**

**It was the noises that did it, that sent me over the edge. And oh, yes, yes, yes! I had to bite into his shoulder to keep from screaming out and I actually drew blood. Oops.**

**But _that_ had Dean speeding up and moving erratically and I knew he'd gone over the edge with me. When his movements slowed I heard him say my name softly over and over again like a prayer.**

**Tears burned my eyes again, but this time they didn't spill over.**

* * *

Okay, so there are two things I need to say. One: I love Twilight, and when I was talking about the vampire and stuff, I was just pointing out the differences. LOL. And Two: I WANTED Dean and Aly to have almost-rough-desperate-I-missed-you-and-I-thought-you-were-dead sex, but it came out more as tender and comforting. LOL. I think I like this version better, myself, because Dean was just so broken up about having to leave his mom and Aly being dead, and Sam and him not getting along and all that stuff. And it came out that way. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think. Thanks


	59. All Hell Breaks Loose Pt One

**Oh, no. This is when things start going downhill for everyone. :) Just thought I'd throw that in there. Anyway...enjoy (or...whatever word you'd use to describe for this chapter.)**

**All Hell Breaks Loose  
Part One**

**The next morning I woke Dean up by straddling his thighs. We'd played this game many times, and who woke who depended on which of us woke up first.**

**This morning it was me. And…I was nervous because I kinda wanted to try something I hadn't before. Not with Dean, anyway.**

**We'd both gone to sleep naked last night. Me, because I'd been too blissed out to move, and Dean because he'd gotten comfortable and had gone to sleep.**

**Dean was half-hard already when he awoke and his cock stood even more to attention when he took in my position. I smiled at him before grabbing onto him and gliding up and down until he was fully erect. Dean groaned and he lifted his hips, which I knew meant he was feeling extremely good now and was looking for more.**

**I let him go and he made a sound of protest as I slid a little further down his legs. I pulled my hair to one side so it wouldn't get in the way, and then I caught Dean's eyes with mine as I lowered myself closer and closer to his erection.**

**Dean didn't move. He knew what I was going to do and that I'd only done this once before and that time hadn't been because I'd wanted to.**

**My lips caressed against the tip of his cock, which had a silky smooth texture, and he hissed in a breath. I did it once more before opening my mouth a little, enough to take maybe the first inch in. I reminded myself to keep my teeth to myself and swirled my tongue.**

"**God!" Apparently, I was doing something right.**

**I slowly took as much as I could without gagging and used my tongue to caress the underside of his cock, which Dean seemed to really enjoy. I liked this more than I probably should have. But what surprised me was that I was…good at it. I wasn't uncomfortable or anything. I was relaxed, and I seemed to know what to do naturally.**

**And the only time I gagged - and even then it wasn't bad - was when Dean bucked up and hit the back of my throat. I'd had to swallow around him, which after doing it, I found he'd liked it.**

**Dean's hand came to rest on my head, but it wasn't controlling or pushing. It was just there. My hand came up to wrap around the length of him that wasn't in my mouth and matched my movements together.**

**Between the sounds Dean was making, his labored breathing, and his free hand fisting the sheet, I knew he was close to the edge. I could taste him on my tongue - salty and Dean-like - and I swallowed the pre-come without getting weirded out.**

**I pulled away, however, because I didn't want him falling of the edge in my mouth, and within a few strokes of my hand he was toppling over, body straining off the bed.**

**While he was still coming down, I bit my lip and felt my innate shyness hit me full force.**

**Oh, my God. I'd just given Dean a blowjob. My cheeks heated up as I blushed and I moved back to his side sheepishly where I reached over the bed to the floor. I was trying to find his shirt to clean him off. We could wash the clothes before we left Bobby's.**

**When my task was complete, Dean began to nuzzle against my neck, right under my ear lobe. It tickled and I giggled. Then he began making love bites all down the side of my neck and I shivered. I could feel them in other places besides my neck. My breathing deepened and I could tell we probably wouldn't be getting up any time soon.**

* * *

**We were up by mid-day and I fixed everyone a very late brunch. I ate more than usual; I had worked up quite an appetite. That's when something awkward happened. Chris called - Bobby's phone, not my cell - and invited me to lunch. It would be a group thing again.**

**That in and of itself wasn't awkward. What was awkward was Sam had answered and pretty much shouted out to the world who had called and what he'd wanted…while Dean was beside me.**

**And then Dean beat me to the phone. _This_ wasn't gonna go well. I just knew it.**

"**Chris? Yeah, this is Dean." He sounded a little annoyed. "I know we haven't actually met, but I want you to stop putting the moves on my girl."**

"**Dean!" I hissed. "Give me the phone."**

**Instead of giving me the phone, he hung up. And _that_ was why things were awkward.**

"**Why did you do that?" I seethed. "That was rude. And uncalled for."**

"**I don't trust him. He's either trying to make trouble, or he _is_ trouble. And he was asking you out on a date."**

**I rolled my eyes. "A'right, Mr. Macho. Let's get a couple things straight, okay? Going to lunch with a group of friends is not a date. It's hanging out. Second, I wasn't gonna go, anyway. Third, Chris has turned out to be a very nice person."**

**I looked around the room and noticed that Bobby and Sam had surreptitiously removed themselves from the room, and our argument.**

"**You barely know him!" Dean growled. "And you have this…habit…of trusting people you shouldn't. You try and see the good in everyone and it's one of the things I love about you, but I don't want you being around him alone."**

**I could tell he was going to be immovable on this subject.**

"**Dean…are you sure this isn't because you don't wanna share?"**

"**No," he said too quickly. "No. That's not…all of it."**

**I nodded. "Okay. Well, I won't see him, okay?" Dean nodded and I shook my head, stepping toward him. "You shouldn't be jealous. No one's gonna take me away from you. I'll be here as long as you want me." Which…he'd proven last night just how much he wanted me.**

**He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I caressed his chest soothingly through his shirt and listened to his heartbeat, which was the most beautiful sound in the world to me.**

"**You really won't see him?" Dean asked. "Just because I said I didn't want you to?" He wasn't used to things being this easy.**

"**Well, yeah. I love _you_, Dean. And if Chris is gonna be a problem for us, then…good-bye, Chris."**

**It wasn't hard for me to say. I _didn't_ really know Chris, and he wasn't worth arguing with Dean over. I wanted _Dean_ more than I wanted normality.**

**His hands fell to my hips and he squeezed gently before moving up to skim over my ribs. I shivered…and reminded myself we were in Bobby's house, and downstairs.**

"**Dean, not here."**

**He grinned, his mood now the polar opposite of what it had been, which was good. I'd meant what I said. Dean _didn't_ need to be jealous. And I wouldn't see Chris anymore if it would upset Dean.**

* * *

**Me not seeing Chris anymore…turned out to be a lie. It wasn't an intentional lie, and it wasn't my fault. He actually came by to meet Dean, since Dean had mentioned they hadn't actually been introduced to one another. And _that_ went over well, hence my sarcasm.**

**Chris had almost gotten his ass kicked because he'd told me Dean shouldn't be able to tell me what to do, and he'd also told Dean that.**

**_That's_ when things got bad. And I'd had to tell Chris that he was a nice guy, but Dean didn't trust him, or like him, and him showing up like that didn't help matters any. And what Dean wanted came first to me.**

**I felt bad for hurting Chris - because I had, I could tell - but…as I'd said, Dean came first. And it wasn't like Dean was forcing me into anything. If I had really had my heart set on seeing Chris, nothing short of physical violence would've stopped me. But my heart wasn't set on Chris, it was set on Dean. He was what I needed.**

**Dean had a hard time believing that, had a hard time believing a lot of things, actually. That I would continue to live this life to be with him, that I would continue to hunt, period. That I loved him, _could_ love him, that I would choose him. I forgot sometimes that I had to remind him every now and then that all those things were true.**

* * *

**The next two days were spent in normal bliss. Normal for us, anyway. The whole scene was pretty domestic, actually. I cooked, I cleaned - what Bobby let me clean, anyway - and did laundry. I did the housewife thing. And it was okay, for a while. A little monotonous, though. But then something happened that made me pray for monotony. Sam went missing. Again. It was like he'd vanished into thin air.**

**I'd stayed with Bobby while Sam and Dean had gone for food. That's when he'd disappeared. Dean had checked out the scene and had found three people dead. A customer and two employees. Their throats had been slit. And there'd been sulfur.**

**Which meant a demon had been involved. My mind immediately went to Meg. That - slitting throats - was pretty much her M.O. with her victims.**

**Now we were with Bobby, again. We were going through old newspapers, and I was using Sam's computer. We were searching for omens, but our search appeared to be futile. It wasn't until a few hours into the research that I remembered something.**

"**Ash!"**

**Both Bobby and Dean looked at me.**

"**Ash what?"**

"**Remember the demon database? He said he'd keep track of that stuff for us. He'd probably be able to tell us…something. I mean, he could do a nationwide search a lot faster than I could do a state-wide."**

"**Hm. Good idea. I'll call," Dean said. "You keep searching."**

"**Okay, but I'm telling you, there's nothing to find."**

"**Well, there's gotta be something'. What about the normal low-level stuff? Ya know, exorcisms, that kind of thing?"**

**Dean got up to call Ash; he paced the entire time.**

**I grabbed Sam's laptop and went to sit beside Bobby. "If we can't find anything, how are we gonna look for Sam?" I asked, practically whispering. "Or…" I glanced at Dean, who was still talking to Ash. "How do we even know he's still alive? What if…what if we're just chasing our tails here?"**

"**No," Bobby said. "If this demon wanted Sam dead, it would've left him there for Dean to find."**

**Dean looked like he was becoming impatient; maybe Ash had put him on hold.**

**Then I had another thought. Jack. When Dean had said I trusted people I shouldn't, I knew he'd been talking about Jack. But I knew he'd come in handy right about now, what with his connections and all. I was just about to tell Bobby my suggestion when Dean started talking again.**

"**Oh, come on! You've gotta give us something. We're looking at a three-thousand mile haystack here."**

**That was assuming Sam was still in the U.S. I kept that negative comment to myself.**

**When Dean hung up he looked at us. "We're goin' to the Roadhouse. Ash said he found somethin', couldn't talk about it on the phone."**

* * *

**It was weird having Bobby in the car instead of Sam. Not _bad_ , just weird.**

**When we were all settled in the Impala, I brought up the plan to call Jack, and Dean said no right away.**

"**But Dean, if it'll help us find Sam -"**

"**Why would he help?" Dean asked, frustrated.**

"**Because for all his faults, he's never actually wanted us to get hurt." I shrugged. "Besides, if he won't help I'll just hang up on him."**

"**Fine. Whatever." I didn't really like his tone, but I forgave him immediately, knowing it wasn't because of me, it was because of the situation.**

**The first time I called Jack's number I didn't get an answer and I didn't feel like leaving a message. So I called again a few minutes later.**

**This time there was an answer. "Yeah?"**

"**Jack?" I asked because he sounded weird. "It's Alyson."**

"**I know who this is. I'm assuming you need something since you basically disowned me the last time we were together."**

**I scoffed. "Yeah, well, you deserved it."**

**Last time we'd been together was when Madison had been alive, and he'd pretty much ruined whatever our relationship had been.**

**Deciding now wasn't the time for chit-chat, I asked, "Where are you?"**

"**Headed to Wyoming," he said. "Something is… Well, I have a case there."**

"**Is that were Sam is?"**

"**No. I wasn't even aware he was missing," Jack remarked, and I couldn't tell if he was lying or not.**

"**Are you telling me the truth?" I asked, my voice hard.**

**He sighed and didn't answer. So, he was lying. My eyes stung and my throat burned, which was stupid. Sam had disappeared and I hadn't felt like crying, but Jack lying to me again? That made me want to cry like a baby.**

"**Why did I even bother?" I sighed.**

"**Look…don't go to the Roadhouse, okay? You won't like what you see."**

"**I didn't say we were going to the Roadhouse," I said. "Did your brain-buddy tell you that?"**

"**Yeah. Don't go. Come to Wyoming."**

"**No," I said. "We have to find Sam. And if you're not gonna tell me where he is, then I'm just gonna hang up."**

"**Don't hang up."**

**I sighed again, and curiosity got the best of me. ""Why shouldn't we go to the Roadhouse?"**

"**Because you won't find anything," Jack said ominously. "Because there's nothing left."**

**I finally placed the emotion in Jack's voice, and it was grief.**

"**What d'you mean nothing left?" I asked, and Dean looked back at me, questioning.**

"**I mean, it's burnt down. It's gone. Everything's gone."**

**My sharp intake of breath had Dean gesturing for the phone and I gave it to him. Willingly.**

**Oh, God. What if Jack was being honest? _If_ he was being honest…then a lot of hunters were probably dead right now. Ash wouldn't be able to help us, and Ellen would never see the light of day again.**

**I noticed we were speeding up and that Dean had snapped my phone shut. We were still going to the Roadhouse, I assumed.**

* * *

**Jack hadn't been lying. I didn't like what I saw when we arrived at the Roadhouse. The building had burned to the ground. The only part that was still standing was the front corner of it.**

**I saw a burnt cowboy hat, a pair of legs that didn't seem to be attached to a body, and a statue of a monkey. I knew hunters - people - were probably buried underneath the ruins.**

"**Oh, my God," Bobby said, hand over his mouth.**

"**You see Ellen?" Dean asked, and I hoped he was talking to Bobby because I had pretty much stopped seeing _anything_.**

"**No," Bobby answered. "No Ash, either."**

**The smell of burnt flesh was getting to me, and I felt my stomach revolt. I held my breath for a few seconds before turning to go back to the car.**

**I was having one of those moments when I felt like I was outside myself, watching things happen as if from a distance. I heard Dean say something about Ash and then that was it. I got in the car and slammed the door.**

**Ash and Ellen were dead now. Jo, too, if she'd stuck around. A lot of other hunters had probably been in there at the time of the fire.**

"**What the hell did Ash know?" Dean's voice registered in my mind. He and Bobby were right outside the car now. "We've got no way of knowin' where Ellen is or if she's even alive. We've got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us. Now, how the hell are we gonna find Sam?"**

**Dean's voice was getting angrier and more impatient by the second, not that I blamed him.**

"**We'll find him," Bobby said firmly.**

**I got out of the car again. "Yeah. We will. But…until then we need to figure out what's going on. Obviously, Sam disappearing and then the Roadhouse burning down…they're connected somehow. Whichever demon took Sam really didn't want us finding him."**

**My phone had been vibrating since halfway through my speech, so I dug it out of my jeans and looked at the screen.**

**Jack. Great.**

"**What?" I said into the phone.**

"**Cold Oak, South Dakota," Jack said. "That's where Sam is."**

**I blinked a few times. Why was he telling me this now? Why couldn't he have told me this before?**

"**I'm telling you the truth, okay? Just get there fast."**

"**And you expect me to believe you? Just like that?"**

"**You'll have to." I heard him sigh. "Look, Dean is getting ready to get a hell of a headache. He'll see a bell with a tree on it, and Sam. He'll _see_ that's where Sam is. But you guys need to hurry if you wanna get there in time."**

"**In time for what?"**

"**To save Sam. Trust me, it's life or death. If you get there in time, you can heal him. Hurry." Then the line went dead.**

**I clicked my phone shut. "Cold Oak, South Dakota," I said. "Jack said that's where Sam is."**

"**You believe him?" Dean asked.**

"**Yes." I meant it. "I do."**

**Dean suddenly grabbed his head. Like Sam did when he was having a vision.**

"**Dean?" Bobby said. "What was that?"**

"**I dunno. A headache?"**

**It happened again, only this time the pain had him doubling over. Then he shook it off.**

"**You get headaches like that a lot?" Bobby was audibly concerned.**

"**No. Must be the stress." Dean chuckled. "I could've sworn I saw something."**

"**A bell," I said softly. "Jack said you'd see a bell."**

"**What d'you mean?" Bobby asked. "Like a vision? Like what Sam gets?"**

"**What?" Dean seemed to take that as an insult. "No! I'm not some psychic."**

**Another headache - or whatever - hit him, and his knees actually buckled beneath him and he had to catch himself on the car. I was already by his hide, but there was nothing I could do but hold onto him, let the pain pass.**

"**Dean?" Bobby said, as close to frantic as Bobby got. "Are you with us?"**

**A few seconds passed. "I saw Sam. I saw him, Bobby."**

"**It _was_ a vision."**

"**Yeah," Dean agreed, straightening up. "I don't know how, but yeah. And it was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."**

"**The bell that you saw," I started. "Did it have a tree on it?"**

"**Yeah…like an oak tree."**

"**So he _is_ in Cold Oak," Bobby said. "Jack was tellin' the truth."**

**I swallowed, remembering Jack's warning. "Then we'd better hurry. Jack said…he said -" God, I couldn't bring myself to say it.**

"**What?" Bobby asked.**

"**He said it's a matter of life and death," I blurted out. "If we get there in time we can save Sam. I can heal him."**

"**Heal him from what?" Dean asked, voice hardening.**

"**I don't know," I said. "He didn't say. I was surprised he'd told me _that_ much, to be honest. I have a feeling that was one of those things he wasn't supposed to let me know."**

* * *

**We'd left pretty much instantly after I'd explained Sam was gonna die. And now we were pretty much testing the Impala's speed barrier.**

**I ended up calling Jack back. I had to make sure he was okay. If he'd broken the rules…the chances are he was dead now too. But he answered.**

"**Alyson." He still sounded weird.**

"**Yeah. Look, we're going to Sam now. But I had to know you were okay." I took a shallow breath. "That thing where you told me where Sam is…I thought you couldn't tell me things that could change fate."**

"**I guess I don't care," he said, sounding sad. "If Sam lives because I told you where he is, then it'll be worth it if I die." I heard him take a shaky breath. "If I don't die…I'll see you in Wyoming. Oh, and um…don't leave Dean alone."**

"**What, is he gonna die, too?" I asked, my breath catching.**

"**Just…don't leave him alone."**

"**Okay. Thank you."**

* * *

**The bad thing about knowing something horrible was going to happened was that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I couldn't stop seeing Sam die; I saw it happen in hundreds of different ways, each more horrible than the last.**

**What if we didn't get there in time? Or what if we did and I couldn't heal him? Or what if we got there, saved Sam, and changed the fate of the world in the process?**

**I found changing fate was acceptable if Sam got to live.**

**_If_ he got to live? He _had_ to live. It would kill Dean if Sam died. He'd never forgive himself if we didn't get there in time and Sam died.**

**Dean would just…change. He'd be a completely different man than the one I knew now.**

* * *

**The actual amount of time it took to get to Cold Oak was maybe a little over three hours, yet it seemed to be so much longer because time was of the serious essence here.**

**But we eventually came upon a road that was blocked by trees. We were gonna have to go the rest of the way on foot. We got weapons before we started walking.**

**I didn't know how far it was to wherever we were going and I was scared of what we'd find when we got there. And Dean was walking so quickly I had to jog to keep up.**

"**Sam!" he called out.**

**I didn't remind him that had anything evil been around, calling out like that would've been extremely stupid. Dean wouldn't have cared, anyway. All he wanted was to find Sam.**

**It was around ten at night now and raining, and from the roll of thunder I heard, it was gonna storm, too.**

**It took about a mile of hiking, woods on either side of us, to find any hint of a town. And the town we did find looked like it belonged in an old western.**

**After we actually found the town, it didn't take long to find Sam. He wasn't alone. There was a black guy with him; he was unconscious. The black guy was wearing a full-body suit. I couldn't tell what kind - it was too dark.**

"**Sam!" Dean said, relief coloring his voice**

**Sam saw us and began moving toward us. He was limping. The black guy and Sam must've been fighting. Sam was also holding his arm against his chest like it was hurting.**

**Then the next few things happened so shockingly fast I wasn't sure I comprehended them right. The black guy was suddenly awake and behind Sam.**

"**Sam, look out!" Dean shouted. And then Sam collapsed, head arched back in pain. "No!"**

**All three of us began running, and the black guy took off in the opposite direction. Dean got to Sam first and slid down in front of him. Bobby went past them, chasing the other guy, and I got behind Sam. I pulled his shirt up just a little, feeling blood slick my hands.**

**Sam had been stabbed, I could tell that now. It was deep and very ugly looking.**

**Dean jostled him, probably trying to keep him awake, but he distracted me with the movements.**

"**Stop moving him," I said even though I didn't think Dean could even hear me now.**

**Sam fell forward onto Dean's shoulder and Dean placed his hand over the wound. I knew his entire palm would be covered in blood now.**

**I caught Dean's hand in mine - much like when I'd accidentally shot Sam that one time - and let my healing energy flow through him to Sam. It was easier than trying to get him to move. All the while Dean was telling Sam it wasn't even that bad - although it clearly was. He told Sam we were gonna make him as good as new, and that we were gonna take care of him.**

**As we were trying to heal him, I felt a hole start forming in my chest because I _knew_ we were going to fail. We hadn't gotten here in time. We _weren't_ going to save Sam. Not this time.**

**Sam's entire body slumped forward - we had failed. Dean's hand left mine and grabbed onto Sam's shoulder.**

"**No. No, no, no, no." Dean kept saying this word, cradling Sam in his arms as Sam faded away.**

**Dean was crying now, and I couldn't look at him. I knew I'd see the expression of someone whose whole world had fallen apart on his face, and I couldn't deal with that right now. Not when my own world was crashing down around me.**

**The grief that hit me surprised me. Not the grief itself, but the force of it. It was… I had nothing to compare it to, really. It wasn't like losing my mom. Then…then I'd had a few days to take it all in, but this…it was too much, too fast, and I absorbed it all at once.**

**Sam had…he was…**

**I couldn't think straight and it took me a moment to realize I was sobbing. Sobbing so hard I was…aching. He'd been like a brother to me, and sure, we'd had problems, but who didn't. And now he was gone.**

"**Sam!" Dean's brokenhearted shout broke through my grief party.**

**_Dean_. Dean, who was rocking back and forth on his knees with Sam still in his arms. Dean, who needed comfort right now even though I was sure he'd refuse it. Dean, who I needed to be strong for.**

**Being strong, however, turned out to be easier said than done. I craved being weak at the moment. I wanted to just lay down where I was and cry. Cry until I was dehydrated, or just passed out. One or the other.**

**I swallowed back a sob and reached forward to grasp Dean's arm, which he pulled out of my reach. My hand stung from the rejection.**

"**Dean -"**

"**We have to get him inside," Dean interrupted. There was pretty much no emotion in his voice. I could tell he was going to shut me out now. "Now."**

**I sighed, looking up at the black sky. _Why_ had this happened to Sam? Now? And what were we going to do with him gone? How was Dean ever going to be the same?**

"**Okay, Dean. Let's get him inside."**


	60. All Hell Breaks Loose Pt Two

**Okay, just wanted to say thanks for all the support for the last chapter, since it was hard for me to write, and this chapter is shorter than my normal chapter, but still...enjoy. (I hated the part where she finds out about the deal...but it had to be added, so...)**

**All Hell Breaks Loose  
Part Two**

**After we got Sam inside the closest building I realized we were in what seemed to be a motel - or what had been a motel, anyway. We placed Sam on a bed, dust flying up around him.**

**The room was small, and it was connected to another room. That room had a table and some chairs.**

"**Dean, I'm, uh…"**

**I reached forward to touch him but he flinched away. I drew my hand back, closing my fingers slowly and clenching my fist at the rejection.**

"**I'm gonna go wait for Bobby outside, so he'll know where we are." There was no response. "Dean?"**

"**I heard you," he said tonelessly. "Go."**

**My first instinct was to rebel against the obvious dismissal, but I didn't. Instead, I walked to the door.**

"**I love you," I said softly, sincerely, but I didn't expect an answer. I didn't get one.**

**Outside, it was raining hard. I didn't care, I was soaked anyway. I sat down on the porch and stared off into space, flashbacks of Sam dying running through my head.**

**I wondered if Dean blamed me as much as I blamed myself. I hadn't been able to heal Sam, and I hadn't had time enough to react, to move Sam or throw the other guy away from him.**

**I wrapped my arms around myself covering my chest. Metaphorically speaking, I was holding myself together…keeping myself from falling apart.**

**I didn't know how long I was out there waiting for Bobby to find me, but he eventually did, and we went inside. Dean was standing in the doorway of the bedroom. His position was the same as it had been when I'd went outside. He was just staring at Sam, staring at him helplessly. Hopelessly.**

"**Dean?" I said, hoping for a response this time. "What're we…I mean…Sam, we can't just leave him here."**

"**We're not just gonna leave him here," Dean said.**

**I sighed. "But Dean, we _can't_ stay here."**

**Dean didn't look at me. "I'm not going anywhere."**

"**Well, aren't we going to…I don't know…bury him?" I asked, hating myself for bringing that up. "I mean, Sam deserves that, at least."**

"**No," Dean said firmly. "We're not buying him, we're not torching his corpse. Not yet."**

**Bobby sighed, took a look at the body on the bed, and said, "Dean, I want you to come with me. You shouldn't be alone, and I need your help."**

**Dean scoffed. He didn't wanna help anybody, not now. He just wanted Sam back.**

"**Dean's not gonna leave. You might as well give up," I said. "What do you need help with?"**

**Bobby looked at me. "Somethin' big is goin' down. End-of-the-world big."**

"**Well, then let it end!" Dean screamed and I flinched from the anger and pain in his voice. It had been like a physical blow.**

**I went back outside. If Dean and Bobby were going to come to blows, I didn't wanna see it.**

* * *

**It didn't take long for Bobby to come out and I knew it had been because Dean had told him to leave. I'd heard him shouting.**

**Bobby went down the porch steps. "I guess I'm leaving. You know where I'll be."**

"**You need me to take you home?" I asked.**

"**I have the keys to the car, but you can if you want." Bobby sighed. "He probably wants you to come stay with me, actually."**

"**Yeah, well, I don't care what he wants. I'm not staying away."**

**There was suddenly a big boom-like sound, like lightning hitting the ground. Bobby and I took off running in the direction of the sound, which ironically enough came from the direction of the car.**

**It took maybe five minutes to get to the car - cars, because there were two now. The Impala and an electric blue Charger. There was smoke coming from beside the Charger where…Jack was laying, lifeless.**

**I blinked a few times, confused as to why he was here, _dead_. Well, I knew why he was dead - he'd broken the rules, for nothing. He'd died for nothing. We hadn't saved Sam.**

**I went forward and crouched down beside him. There didn't seem to be a wound…he was just dead. I checked his pulse to be sure.**

"**Damn it, Jack." I felt I should be crying, or at the very least grieving, but I just couldn't. Sam was clogging up my head space.**

"**Do you want me to take him with me?" Bobby asked. "I can take the Charger instead of the Impala."**

"**Yeah, take him and…I don't know, give him a hunter's funeral or something."**

"**Okay. Help me get him in the back."**

* * *

**After getting Jack situated, Bobby gave the keys to the Impala and I placed them in the back pocket of my jeans. I walked back to the place Dean was. I almost decided not to go back in, but I _had_ to check on him.**

**Dean had pulled a chair over to the bed and he was still just staring at Sam's body.**

"**Bobby's gone. He, uh, went home. Jack is…" I didn't wanna say dead. "Bobby took the Charger."**

"**I thought you went with him," he said.**

"**Well, I didn't."**

**I walked over to Dean's chair and I looked at Sam. Sam, whose skin had lost all color now.**

"**Dean, do you - I mean…is there anything I can do? I mean…"**

"**Go away," Dean said softly.**

**I exhaled sharply. "I'm not leaving you here alone. I can't."**

"**Yes, you can," Dean said. "Go away."**

**I took a deep breath. "I'll wait outside, but I'm not _going_ anywhere."**

* * *

**Outside, I began walking around, going from building to building, mostly just to see what was here, and why exactly Sam had been brought here.**

**The first building I came to held an old rusty tractor - that was pretty much all it held. The second building was a shed-type building. It was empty aside from the body of a blond girl. There was a bruise around her neck, like she had hung herself.**

**Looking around town I found two other bodies. Andy Gallagher and Ava Wilson. I remembered them both. I had liked Andy - the one who could control minds, but was good at heart - and I hadn't really known Ava, but I felt a pang of loss for the both of them. It was apparent that Ava had had her neck broken, and that Andy's chest had been shredded open.**

**It took a _long_ time to get Andy and Ava to the shed with the other girl. It was still raining, and dragging bodies through the mud was had to do. I took Andy first, getting blood - _more_ blood, I should say - on me. I checked in with Dean after taking care of Andy and found he was talking to Sam, so I let him be.**

**Then I went back for Ava. When I got her to the shed I pretty much collapsed. I was tired - physically and emotionally. Only emotionally probably wasn't the best word. I'd held back, I'd wanted to be strong for Dean, but Dean had wanted me to leave him alone, so I'd decided not to hover. If Dean needed to be by himself to grieve, then I'd let him be by himself.**

**Sometimes it was okay - _better_ - to be alone where you didn't have to pretend like you were holding it together. Like now, for me. I let a few tears fall down my face.**

**Everything that could have gone wrong _had_ gone wrong. And all at once, too. The Roadhouse had burned down - probably with Ellen still in it -. Ash was dead. Jack was dead, probably had been killed by whatever had brought him back, and _Sam_…Sam was gone now, too.**

**I didn't even try to keep up with the thoughts I was having. They weren't…random thoughts, exactly, but it was like I was thought-jumping. Like my mind would skip to the next subject before I was done thinking about the previous one. But it always came back to Sam. And Dean. I didn't know what to do about Dean, how to get him to leave, or at the very least, bury Sam. Dean would never leave Sam here alone, and we couldn't stay here forever**

* * *

**I didn't know how long I'd been in the shed, but it was just becoming light outside when I got back to the place Dean was. I questioned whether I should go in or not, but then decided _yes_, I should. What I found didn't compute automatically, but Sam was up standing in front of a mirror looking at his back, where an angry looking scar was. And Dean wasn't there.**

**I stood in the doorway, frozen. I was sure I had a blank look on my face. I must've fallen asleep in the shed and I was dreaming. Yeah. That had to be it. There was no way Sam was alive again.**

**Only there _was_ a way, and I knew it. I just didn't want to think it.**

**I patted my back pocket to make sure the car keys were still there, and yeah, they were. But if Dean had really wanted to go somewhere he could've just hotwired his car.**

"**Sam?" I breathed out. "You're…I mean…"**

"**Alyson?" He caught sight of my expression…and probably my appearance. "What happened?"**

"**Um…" I blinked back tears. "What d'you remember?"**

"**Uh, pain. Did you…heal me?"**

"**Yeah, that's what she did." That was Dean's voice; I hadn't even noticed he'd come back.**

**Dean grabbed Sam in a tight embrace, and Sam grunted. "Ow. Uh, Dean…"**

**Dean let go. "I'm sorry, man. I'm just…I'm just happy to see you up and around, that's all."**

**I scoffed softly, and shook my head. I _knew_ what Dean had done. _Why_ had I left his side? Why? I turned away from the two guys and tried to calm down. I didn't want to start crying right now. But if I did it would be because I was pissed.**

"**Come on, sit down," Dean said, leading Sam to the table and chairs.**

"**Okay." The fact that Sam didn't argue just proved he was in pain.**

"**Wait," I said softly. "Let me…heal you the rest of the way."**

**As I went to work on his back, Sam continued talking. "What happened to me?"**

"**Well, what d'you remember?" Dean repeated my earlier question.**

"**I saw you guys, and I-I felt this pain." He flinched when I touched the scar on his back.**

"**Sorry," I whispered. "Still tender, huh?"**

"**Yeah."**

**I took a deep breath and then my hand did the healing-glowy thing, all white and warm and pure - and like the first time I'd done this, I was sure it was what love felt like…like love was maybe the trigger for this particular gift - and I watched as Sam's scar slowly faded away.**

"**Okay," I said. "You felt pain and…"**

"**And then you guys were running at me…and that's it."**

"**Yeah, that-that kid stabbed you in the back. You lost a lot of blood," Dean said. "It was pretty touch and go there for a while."**

**I clenched my jaw to keep from laughing bitterly. How was Dean being so calm? How was he lying to Sam like that? How was he acting so normal?**

"**Who was that kid, anyway?" Dean asked.**

"**His name's Jake. Did you get him?"**

"**No, he disappeared into the woods."**

"**We gotta find him, Dean," Sam said murderously. "And I swear I'm gonna tear that son of a bitch apart."**

**Sam wanted revenge. I didn't blame him.**

"**No, Sam. You just woke up, all right?" Dean said. "Let's get you somethin' to eat. You want somethin' to eat?" Sam nodded. "Good, I'm starvin'."**

"**Well, wait. What happened?" I asked. "Why'd they bring you here?"**

"**There were others. Me, Jake, Ava, Andy, another girl. Lily, I think. Only one of us was supposed to live."**

"**How d'you know?"**

"**Yellow Eyes said it. He came to me in a dream. He wanted me to be a soldier."**

"**Oh," I said softly. "I-I found the other three. I put them in the shed. Andy was torn to pieces, what happened to him?"**

"**Ava," Sam said sadly. "She changed. She could control demons. She, uh, summoned one and it killed Andy."**

"**That's awful," Dean said. "Poor Andy."**

"**Yeah. Jake killed Ava to keep her from killing me," Sam continued. "But, uh, the demon appeared to Jake, too. Told him the same thing it had told me. We fought and that's when you guys showed up."**

"**Did the demon say anything else?" Dean asked.**

**Sam shook his head. "No. No. That was it. Nothin' else."**

**I had a feeling that Sam was being a little less than honest. I didn't know why. Maybe it was the sound of his voice or maybe it was his expression, but he wasn't telling the truth.**

"**You know what I don't get, Dean, is if the demon only wanted one of us, then how did Jake and I both get away?"**

**Dean looked my way, but I turned my head so I wouldn't meet his gaze. He would get no help from me this time. This was his doing.**

"**Well, I mean, they left you for dead," Dean answered. "Jake didn't know Aly could heal you. I'm sure he thought it was over."**

**I could feel Dean's eyes taking in my appearance - which, granted, had to be bad. "What happened to you?"**

**I scoffed. "I've had blood on my hands all day, Dean. Blood from people I knew and cared about. What do you _think_ happened to me?"**

"**So now that Yellow Eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?" Dean asked Sam, ignoring my attitude at the moment."**

"**I don't know. But whatever it is, we gotta stop him."**

"**Well, hold on," Dean said. "You need to get your rest. We got time."**

"**No, we don't," Sam countered.**

"**You said you were gonna eat first," I reminded him. "I'll…go get food."**

"**Looking like that?" Sam asked gently, and I looked down at myself. There was blood covering the front of my shirt, and the top of my jeans. There was probably blood in my hair too, I didn't know.**

**I shrugged. "I'll change in the car. I just…gotta get some air."**

* * *

**I went outside and it wasn't no time before Dean came out too. I didn't acknowledge him; I just kept on walking.**

"**Aly! Wait."**

**I didn't turn around. "Go away," I repeated his earlier words back to him.**

"**Aly, I _had_ to save him." His voice was so sad and broken that I was tempted to turn to him, but I didn't.**

"**Go away," I repeated softly. "Go run back to Sam. He obviously means more to you than I ever will."**

"**Aly!" Dean grabbed my arms and I instinctively jerked away.**

"**_Don't_ touch me! You don't get to do that." I clenched my jay to keep from screaming. "You _sold your soul_. You're going to go to hell, do you even realize that? And then…you expect me to just…accept it? Huh?"**

**He swallowed and took a deep breath. "You're gonna have to."**

**I saw red and I swung my fist toward his face, and the punch connected. I had never hit Dean before; I had never _wanted_ to hit Dean before. But I was hitting him now. Two times in quick succession, and he wasn't doing anything to stop me.**

"**Fight back!" I yelled. "Fight back."**

"**I'm not gonna fight you, Aly."**

"**Why not?" I asked, refraining from hitting him a third time.**

"**If this is what you need to do to make yourself feel better…go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you."**

**My vision went blurry and I fell to the ground, Dean catching me to gentle fall. And just like that I went from angry to as low as I could possibly feel.**

"**Dean, you can't leave me. I can't do this alone."**

**My throat ached and I was shaking and sobbing, and I could barely breathe, but I was aware enough to know I didn't want to have this breakdown now. But knowing and doing are two very different things.**

"**Aly, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. But you'll be fine. You're the strongest person I know. You'll be fine without me."**

**And I was back to being angry. I wanted to tell him that _no_ I wouldn't be fine because he wouldn't be with me, but I couldn't. I was sobbing too hard.**

* * *

**After my breakdown, Dean decided he should be the one to go get the food. I might have an accident, the state I was in. I didn't argue. I just handed him the keys from my pocket and walked away, back to where Sam was waiting. Sam was looking at his back again. I wondered when he would put the pieces together. I wouldn't tell him, it would hurt him too much.**

**He took in my appearance and blinked a few times. "What happened? You all right?"**

**I shook my head. "Everything's just, um…happening so fast. Ya know?"**

"**No, actually. I've been stuck here. What happened?"**

"**You disappeared, and then we went to the Roadhouse." I flashed back to the sight of the burned building. "It was gone. Everything was gone."**

**Sam shook his head, not understanding.**

"**The Roadhouse burned to the ground," I explained. "Ash is dead. We couldn't find Ellen, but a lot of hunters were probably there, too, it being the Roadhouse and all."**

"**Was it demons?" Sam asked softly.**

**I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably. Ash had told Dean he found something. We never found out what." I sighed. "I think Bobby's probably working on it." I swallowed painfully. "I called Jack, thought maybe he'd help find you. He didn't, at first, but he called back."**

"**He told you?"**

"**Yeah. Jack told me to get here so I could heal you. Jack is…" I broke off. I didn't want to say dead. I hated that word now. "Jack showed up here. He…he's _gone_."**

**From the way I'd said it, I knew Sam knew what I meant.**

"**Oh, God. I'm sorry."**

**I nodded. "Yeah, me too. He…pissed me off the last time I was with him. But in the end, he was just tryin' to help. He must've told me something he shouldn't have."**

**Things were quiet for a few seconds and I shocked him when I said, "So, what did the demon tell you?"**

"**What? I told you what he told me."**

"**You didn't tell us everything," I countered. "I know you, Sam, I know when you're lying."**

**He sighed, defeated. "He did…tell me something. But I don't wanna talk about it right now."**

"**Okay," I said simply. "But I'm here when you wanna talk. Okay?"**

"**Yeah, I know."**

* * *

**Three hours later and after much prodding from Sam, we were on Bobby's front porch, knocking on the door. I didn't see the Charger anywhere so I wondered if he was even home.**

**But Bobby opened the door and did a double-take in Sam's direction. And then he looked at Dean, who turned his head away guiltily.**

"**Hey, Bobby," Sam said.**

"**Sam. It's good to…see ya up and around."**

"**Yeah, well, Alyson healed me so you should thank her."**

"**Don't…thank me," I said firmly. "I could use a shower, though."**

"**Sure, go ahead."**

**Bobby's eyes followed Dean as he walked by and I could tell he didn't buy that I had healed Sam. Bobby knew I couldn't bring people back to life.**

"**Sam's better," Dean said. "And we're back in it now, so…what do you know?"**

**Bobby glared at Dean but didn't say anything. Sam could tell something was wrong, though.**

"**I found somethin'," Bobby said eventually. "But I'm not sure what the hell it means."**

"**What is it?" Sam asked, all business.**

"**Demonic omens…like a frickin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lighting storms. They skyrocketed from outta nowhere."**

"**Where?" Dean asked.**

"**Wyoming," I said, and Bobby looked at me.**

"**How'd you know that?"**

"**That's where…that's where Jack was going before he…died."**

"**Jack is dead?" Dean asked. "When did this happen?"**

**I looked at Sam. "You were a little preoccupied at the time." The only reason I was even speaking to Dean was because Jack had been _my_ dad.**

**I looked at Bobby now. "Did you, um, ya know…already?"**

"**Yeah, I did it first thing."**

"**Good." I turned to go upstairs. I already had some of my things here so I didn't need to get my bag. "You guys can fill me in when I came back down."**

**The last thing I heard was that it seemed that the demons were surrounding Southern Wyoming.**

* * *

**When I got out of the shower, clean but not refreshed, I didn't go back downstairs yet. I went to my room - the one that Dean and I shared when we stayed here. I got my things together and took them to the room that had been mine before Dean and I had started sharing a bed.**

**When I was finished, I went downstairs and saw that Ellen was there. That made the second person who I'd thought was dead, yet I saw them alive. Only I was pretty sure a deal hadn't been made in her case.**

"**Ellen? What happened? How'd you get out?"**

**She had just downed a shot of whiskey, and she turned my way.**

"**I wasn't supposed to. But we ran out of pretzels of all things." She exhaled sharply. "Ash called, told me to look in the safe. The call went out. By the time I got back the flames were sky-high. Everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes."**

"**Was Jo there?" I asked. "I mean -"**

"**No," Ellen interrupted. "She left a few days after you dropped us off."**

**Huh. At least something had gone right.**

"**Ellen, you mentioned a safe," Bobby said carefully.**

"**A hidden safe we keep in the basement," she specified.**

"**Demons get what was in it?"**

"**No."**

**Ellen pulled a map out of her pocket, unfolding it and setting it down on the table. It had black x's on it.**

"**Wyoming," Dean said. "What does that mean?" He pointed to the x's.**

"**I don't know," Ellen said.**

"**Well," Bobby said, going to his book stacks. "We'll find out.**


	61. All Hell Breaks Loose Pt Three

**All Hell Breaks Loose  
Part Three**

**For the last three hours we'd been researching what was so important about Wyoming and the places Ash had marked on the map.**

**I'd been looking up the coordinates for the places covered by the x's on the map, and then researching the places. There had been five x's; they each marked the location of an abandoned church. Like, mid 19th century churches. They'd all been built by Samuel Colt - the demon killing, gun making Samuel Colt.**

**We'd been researching for so long my eyes were crossing on their own, blurring the pages in front of me. God, I was tired. The emotional toil of the last thirty or so hours had worn me out.**

"**I don't believe it," Bobby said, staring at the open book in his hands.**

"**What?" I asked, looking up hopefully. If he'd found something then it would mean that I could stop searching. "You find anything?"**

"**Yeah, I'd say so," Bobby replied. "The churches are built on top of railway lines."**

"**So?" Dean asked.**

"**So…Samuel Colt built them, too," Bobby explained. "The lines connect church to church." The map was still on the table where Ellen had put it earlier. "It just happens to lay out like this."**

**Bobby picked up a black marker and connected the x's on the map; he made the shape of a star…a pentagram.**

"**Tell me that's not what I think it is," Dean said.**

"**It's a devil's trap," Sam said. "A hundred-square mile devil's trap."**

"**I've never heard of anything that massive," Ellen said.**

"**No one has," Bobby said.**

**I grabbed the map and looked at it, wondering why exactly Samuel Colt had done this.**

"**And after all these years none of the lines are broken?" Dean asked. "I mean, it still works?"**

"**Definitely," both Sam and I said.**

"**How do you know?"**

"**All those omens Bobby found," Sam explained. "I mean, the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."**

"**Um…" I started. "What exactly do the demons want? I mean, what's there?"**

"**That's what I've been looking for," Dean said, looking at me. I turned my attention to the map. "And, uh, there's nothin' except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle."**

"**Well, what's so important about a cemetery?" Sam asked. "What's Colt tryin' to protect?"**

"**Nothing," I said. "Well, I mean, except the world."**

"**That's not cryptic at all," Dean said. "What d'you mean?"**

"**When Jack talked to me, he was weird. It was like he needed me to come to Wyoming with him. When I didn't, he must've changed his mind because he ended up coming to Cold Oak. Now, there's no way a demon is getting through that thing, right?" I asked, looking at Bobby.**

"**No. That thing's so powerful you practically need an A-bomb to destroy it. No way a full-blooded demon gets across."**

"**Okay, if they can't get in then the only logical conclusion is…" I started.**

"**The lines are to keep them from letting something out," Dean finished. "And Jack thought you could stop it."**

"**But if the demons can't get in then we're safe, right?" Ellen asked.**

"**The demons can't get in but Jake can," Sam said. "That's probably what Yellow-Eyes wanted in the first place."**

"**Well, then we should get there first," I said firmly. "So we can stop him from doing whatever he's gonna do."**

* * *

**Out in the yard I chose to be difficult.**

"**I wanna take my dad's car," I said.**

"**Why?" Sam asked curiously.**

**I shrugged. "I just do."**

**Dean looked at the ground guiltily. _He_ knew why I didn't wanna be in the car with them. Well, him.**

**Bobby, who had the keys in his pocket, handed them over and told me the car was in the back.**

"**Okay. I'll, um, follow you guys, I guess."**

**When I reached the Charger I got in and started it up, pulled around front and followed after the Impala and Bobby's truck.**

**I didn't listen to any music…I just thought. A lot.**

**I remembered the first time I'd seen Dean, met him, in my high school parking lot. He'd fixed a flat tire, which I'd found out later that he'd let the air out of. Dean had been there when I'd found my mom. Well, Sam had been there, too, but Dean had been the one to comfort me.**

**I remembered the life-altering moment Sam and Dean had asked me to come with them and I'd said yes. Dean had comforted me then, too, although it had been unknowingly.**

**I remembered the first time I shot a gun. Dean had taught me. Taken me under his wing, so to speak. When I'd started to shake, he'd told me I didn't have to learn if I didn't want to; he'd protect me.**

**I remembered even in the beginning when we barely knew each other, Dean had still been a mother hen to me, never letting me go anywhere without him.**

**Now, looking back, I realized that from the day I'd met him, I'd slowly been falling for him. Hard. And now? Now I was so in love with him I couldn't see straight.**

**I jerked myself out of my thoughts when I realized the others were turning into a gas station, and I looked down at my gas gauge thing. I was running on E. Ironic, considering that's how I felt right now.**

**I pulled up to a pump and got out, went inside and paid twenty for gas. Dean came in behind me. I ignored him.**

"**Aly, we need to talk."**

**I clenched my jaw. "I'm not ready to talk to you yet."**

"**Too bad," he said, grabbing my arm.**

"**I'm serious, Dean. Unless you wanna fight, I can't talk to you right now. We'll…talk later."**

**I slipped away from him and I left to go fill up the car. Sam was already doing it.**

"**Hey," he said as I walked up to him.**

"**Hey. Thanks." I gestured to the pump.**

"**No problem." He sighed. "What's goin' on with you and Dean?"**

"**You should ask him," I said simply.**

"**Did he…do something?" Sam shrugged. "I mean, I've seen you upset, but you look wrecked. Ever since I woke up you've looked wrecked."**

"**Dean and I are fighting. It's pretty bad."**

"**You're _not_ fighting, though. You're avoiding him."**

**I sighed, impatient. "Yeah, I am, okay? Because…if I talk to him right now, I know I'll say something I'll regret. Best to just not talk at all."**

* * *

**By nightfall, we were at the cemetery, and I'd gone through most of my memories of Dean in the time it had taken to get there. And I'd cried while driving, swerving every now and then.**

**But now, we were walking through the creaky gates of the cemetery and I stopped moving, period. I felt the most powerful evil I'd ever felt. _What_ was here?**

"**Wait," I said to the others. We all had guns, but I wasn't sure a gun would kill whatever this was. "Something's here."**

"**Something?" Ellen asked. Good thing I'd explained to her and Jo about my abilities back in Nevada a few cases back.**

"**Something strong," I specified.**

"**Jake?" Sam asked.**

"**No, he didn't feel this way before. It's something else."**

**We moved cautiously through the graveyard until we got to this mausoleum looking thing. I stopped again.**

"**There. Whatever the demons want it's in there."**

**I took a deep breath to steady myself. I hadn't felt this amount of power since I'd met the trickster, and even then it hadn't been this evil.**

**We heard the approach of a car, and we all started hiding. We needed the element of surprise. Not to mention, if Jake really was here, he needed to get far enough in so we could trap him, and kill him.**

**Turns out, Jake _was_ here, and I'd been right; the mausoleum - or whatever - had been the target. It's what Jake headed for. And then we surrounded him.**

"**Howdy, Jake," Sam said, pointing his gun at Jake. We all were, actually.**

**Jake seemed shocked. "You were dead. I killed you."**

"**Yeah?" Sam seethed. "Well, next time, finish the job."**

"**I did," Jake yelled. "I cut clean through your spinal cord, man. You can't be alive."**

**Sam glanced at Dean and at me, and I could see the puzzle pieces coming together in his brain. He had figured it out. Sam clenched his teeth together, and took the safety off the gun.**

"**What are _you_ gonna do? Kill me?" Jake mocked.**

"**It's a thought," Sam said heatedly.**

"**You had your chance. You couldn't."**

**I cocked my gun. "Well, if he doesn't then I will." After all, all of this was his fault. If he hadn't killed Sam then Dean never would've made the deal.**

**Just then Jake's whole demeanor changed. He turned evil. And he looked at Ellen, who was standing between me and Dean.**

"**Hey, lady, do me a favor. Put that gun to your head." Jake's eyes flashed red for a second.**

**But Ellen did what he wanted. Her hand was shaking, her expression was defiant, but she pointed her gun at her own temple.**

"**You can control minds," I said softly.**

"**How?" Sam asked.**

"**That Ava girl was right. Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn."**

"**Shoot him," Ellen said, her voice trembling.**

"**You'll be mopping up skull before you can get a shot off," Jake warned. "Everybody put your guns down. Except you, sweetheart," he finished, looking at Ellen.**

**Dean and I glanced at each other, an unspoken agreement between us. We'd save Ellen even if we didn't have a weapon.**

**Bobby was the first to lower his gun, then it was Dean, then me. We dropped them to the ground. Jake glared at Sam and then Sam made a gesture of surrender, raising both hands and dropping his gun on the ground.**

"**Okay," Jake said. "Thank you."**

**I'd never wanted to kill somebody as badly as I did Jake.**

**Jake turned around and Dean and I reached for Ellen. Dean grabbed her arm and pointed it toward the sky just as she pulled the trigger. She was safe. Dean took the gun away from her just in case.**

**Then there were four more shots and I jumped during the first one. I hadn't expected it. Sam had shot Jake four times in the back. Jake fell to the ground, and Sam positioned himself in front of Jake.**

**He was looking at Jake coldly, murderously. I had never seen Sam look like that. I didn't like it, but I understood it. Sam had figured out what Dean had done and he wanted Jake to pay.**

**He shot Jake three more times in the chest, and then he looked up. Bobby and Dean looked worried. I, however, was more focused on the doors of the mausoleum. Jake had inserted a gun in the doors. There was a hole - a keyhole? - where the gun had fit and now the lock was turning on it's own. When it stopped it was in the form of a pentagram.**

"**Oh no," Bobby explained.**

"**Bobby, what is it?"**

"**It's hell."**

**I grabbed the gun from the door. It was the Colt. The one the yellow-eyed demon had gotten from John before he'd died.**

"**Take cover now!" Bobby shouted.**

**All five of us ran behind different tombstones as the doors to the _thing_ burst open. I peeked behind mine and saw a large black…something come out of the other side. I wasn't sure, but I thought it was demon smoke. And from the way my weirdar was going off…I was probably right. Demons were getting out of hell.**

**The black smoke rose into the night and took off in every direction.**

"**What the hell just happened?" Dean yelled.**

"**That's a devil's gate," Ellen said. "A damn door to hell."**

**_This_ had been why Jack had wanted me to come to Wyoming. Looking back, I probably should've listened, because like Bobby had told Dean. This was end-of-the-world big.**

**I got out from behind my tombstone and quickly went to Dean's.**

"**Here, take this," I said, handing him the gun. "I'm going to go and try to close the gate."**

**I tried to get up, but Dean pulled me back down, crushing his mouth to mine. I grabbed onto him, kissing back with all I had. And then it was over, and I was getting up again.**

**Sam, Bobby and Ellen followed me. Sam and Ellen took one side, Bobby took the other. I stood in the middle. I saw that the inside of hell was just like what old preachers would preach about. Fire and brimstone…everlasting torment.**

**I pushed. With all my heart, I pushed. I shut out everything else. I saw Sam's mouth moving but I couldn't hear him. The only thing I focused on was closing the door. Bobby and Ellen jerked forward as the doors went forward a few inches. Sam wasn't there anymore, I didn't know where he'd gone.**

**A dizzy spell hit me and I fell to my knees but I continued pushing and the gate continued closing and then suddenly a voice said _stop_. It was kind and soft.**

**I looked in the direction of the voice and saw John Winchester. I gasped in shock, my concentration broken. Did this mean he was free? He wouldn't go back now?**

**I looked around at the others. Bobby and Ellen were still working on the devil's gate. Sam was being held up against a tree by an invisible force. Dean was on the ground and…the yellow-eyed demon had the Colt pointed at him.**

**I flung the gun away with a _whoosh_ of my hand, and the demon glared at me. But it didn't matter because Dean was safe. For now.**

**John and I shared a look and I nodded, getting up and going to help Bobby and Ellen. John would take care of his boys.**

**Slowly but surely we got the gate closed and it locked itself. A shot rang out and I swung around. Dean had killed Yellow-Eyes. Finally, the thing was dead.**

**John and Dean were looking at each other, John's hand on his shoulder. Sam and John nodded at each other, and then John looked at Dean again. When he took a step back I could tell all three Winchester's had tears in their eyes. Sam's had spilled over.**

**I longed to go to them, but this was a family moment, and…not to mention, Dean and I were not okay. Despite the kiss we'd shared, things were not okay. I'd thought we were all gonna die, so it didn't count.**

**John disappeared in a flash of light and only then did I go to Sam and Dean. They were looking at the smoking body of the demons in disbelief.**

"**Well, we can consider his ass kicked," I said, toeing the demon with my shoe.**

"**Yeah. We can check _that_ off the to do list."**

"**You did it," Sam said, almost happy.**

"**I didn't do it alone," Dean said softly.**

**Sam looked toward the gate. "Do you think Dad really…do you think he really climbed outta hell?"**

"**The door _was_ open," Dean said hopefully. "If anyone's stubborn enough to do it…it would be him."**

"**Where do you think he is now?" Sam asked in a small voice, sounding like a child.**

**I was beside Sam - avoiding being beside Dean - and I grabbed Sam's arm. "He's where he's supposed to be. Where he was always meant to be. He's not in hell. Not anymore."**

**Sam smiled at me and looked back at Yellow-Eyes. "I kinda can't believe it. I mean…our whole lives, everything…has been prepping for this, and now I…" He laughed softly. "I kind of don't know what to say."**

"**I do," Dean said, squatting and leaning over the body. "That was for our mom…you son of a bitch."**

**Dean had whispered the last part but I heard it anyway. And now he was getting up, and he looked at us.**

"**We should get goin'. In case anyone heard the gunshots."**

**I looked toward Bobby and Ellen. They were still by the gate, exhausted. I gestured with my hand to let them know we were going. As we were walking, Sam started speaking.**

"**You know, when Jake saw me…it was like he saw a ghost. I mean, he said he killed me."**

"**Well, I'm glad he was wrong," Dean said.**

"**I don't think he was." Sam looked at me. "What happened? After I was stabbed?"**

**He'd asked me because he knew I couldn't lie very well, so I looked away.**

"**Sam," Dean began, exasperated. "We just killed the demon. Can we celebrate for a minute?"**

"**Did I die?" Sam asked, voice strained. He was holding back tears. "Did you sell your soul for me, like Dad did for you?"**

"**Oh, come on! No!"**

**I stopped walking and glared at Dean's back. "Stop lying!" Dean and Sam looked back at me. "Stop lying to him."**

**Sam looked at Dean and when he talked his voice broke. "How long did you get?"**

**Dean looked at Sam and then at me. "One year," he said. "I got one year."**

**My breath caught. "A year? But they usually give you ten."**

"**Yeah, well, not for me."**

"**You shouldn't have done that," Sam said, and I could tell he thought that Dean had done a stupid thing. "How could you do that?"**

"**Don't get mad at me,' Dean pleaded. "Don't you do that. I had to. I had to look out for you. That's my job!"**

**I felt like having a conniption fit. I wanted to stomp my feet, storm off into the night…scream. That's what I wanted to do. Scream and cry and pout because everything sucked now.**

"**And what do you think my job it?" Sam asked.**

"**What?" Dean blinked in surprise.**

"**You've saved my life over and over," Sam said. "I mean, you sacrifice everything for me, don't you think I'd do the same for you?"**

**A look came over Dean's face and I could see that no, Dean didn't think that, didn't think he was worth that, didn't understand why he would be.**

"**You're my big brother. There's _nothing_ I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna get you outta this. Guess I gotta save your ass for a change."**

"**Yeah," Dean whispered. Though I could tell he didn't think it was possible.**

**We'd reached the cars a while back, I just hadn't noticed. Ellen and Bobby were already there. They'd passed us when we'd stopped.**

"**So…the yellow-eyed demon might be dead, but a lot more got through that gate," Ellen said.**

"**How many, ya think?" Dean asked.**

"**A hundred," Sam estimated. "Maybe two hundred. It's an army."**

"**Hm. Makes sense," I said. "Yellow-Eyes needed a leader. Now we know why."**

"**Hope to hell -" I flinched "- you're ready," Bobby said. "'Cause the war has just begun."**

**Sam squared his shoulders, Dean grinned, I sighed.**

"**Well, then," Dean said. "We got work to do."**

**Dean had this shit-eating grin on his face. At any other time I would've found it cute and brave. Now, I found it annoying.**

"**Well, we can catch the demons another time," I said. "I'm tired and I wanna sleep. I'm going back to Bobby's."**

* * *

**The three hour trip to Bobby's went the same way as the trip from Bobby's had gone. Me, thinking about Dean. He'd recently told me he couldn't live in a world without me in it. I guess that didn't apply when he was grieving.**

**When we arrived at Bobby's I went straight upstairs and Dean followed behind me. Oh, God, was he gonna try to talk to me again?**

**At his bedroom door I stopped and turned around and was confronted with his green eyes that conveyed everything he was feeling. He was sorry. He loved me, but he had _had_ to save Sam.**

**I noticed his forehead had a cut on it. I hadn't noticed before. "What happened?"**

"**Got thrown, hit my head."**

"**Oh."**

**I lifted my hand to his forehead and gently sent my healing warmth into him and watched as he healed. He took my hand in his and squeezed.**

"**I'm sorry."**

**I clenched my jaw. "I know. It doesn't change anything." I sighed. "Look, Dean, I'm really tired, okay? I just wanna go to bed.**

"**Yeah, okay." He reached to open the bedroom door and I stopped him.**

"**Don't. I moved my things back to my old room." Dean took a sharp breath and a pained, betrayed expression came across his face. "I just…I can't. Right now." Tears stung my eyes. "I'm sorry. That's just the way it is."**

**Dean looked deep into my eyes. "Aly," he whispered brokenly.**

"**Good night, Dean," I said firmly, turning to walk away. I had to get away. I knew that if I looked at him again, I'd be forced to stay with him just because of the fact that I couldn't stand to hurt him.**

**Once in my room, I closed and locked the door. I sniffled once of twice and ran my hands over my face. I felt the metal of the ring Dean had given me and a few more tears fell.**

**I slipped the ring off my finger and looked at the sapphires closely. I clutched the ring in my fist as I felt a pressure building inside me, trying to push its way out.**

**I went to my bed - my lonely bed - and curled in around myself, letting the first sob escape. I felt I was in physical pain now just _thinking_ about Dean dying.**

**He had a _year_. A year to live and that was it.**

**My hand grasped tightly at the ring, and I continued to sob.**

Okay, so here endeth Season Two. LOL. I already have half of the first chapter for Season Three written, but I'm not sure when exactly I'll update. Anyway...yeah. I'm not sure that I got Aly's character spot on for this part, but this is how I pictured her reacting. I mean, considering she likes to go off in her own little world when things go wrong, this is what I came up with.


End file.
